Despite the North Carolina swimming team racing to a pair of wins against East Carolina in the season-opening meet, it often takes weeks for swimmers to hit their strides.
On Friday, senior and six-time ACC champion Tommy Wyher wasted no time picking up right where he left off.
The 6-foot-4 sprinter took first place in the 100-yard freestyle in his first individual event of the season, registering a career-best time and beating the second-place finisher by more than two seconds.
With a time of 44.62 in the event, Wyher slashed his previous personal best time of 45.37, which he set during ACC Championships his freshman year at North Carolina.
“He’s going to end up being one of the greatest swimmers to ever swim at UNC,” coach Rich DeSelm said.
Wyher, who also won the 100-yard butterfly and swam on the winning 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams, was the only member of the men’s team to take home four first places.
But even though he’s already at the top, the Florida native isn’t bogged down by complacency.
“He’s very astute,” DeSelm said. “He’s quiet, but he knows himself very well as an athlete. I know that, despite his success last year, he’s not at all satisfied.”
Senior Rebecca Kane’s list of accolades, including two individual and two relay wins, helped the women’s campaign against the Pirates, while sophomore Carly Smith and freshman Stephanie Peacock each added three first-place finishes.