Tar Heels face familiar foe

Every year senior Vinny Pryor has been swimming at North Carolina, he’s come just a touch short.

In each of UNC’s three dual meets against conference rival Virginia, the former record holder has finished second to a Cavalier in the 100-yard breaststroke.

This weekend, Pryor will get a shot at redemption.

“I won’t get second again,” Pryor said.

The North Carolina men’s and women’s swimming teams will travel to Charlottesville on Saturday in an attempt to uphold their unblemished 2-0 ACC record.

For weeks Pryor has been thinking about the challenges that come along with the rivalry match.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the emotional swings of the meet,” he said. “It’s our biggest dual of the season and intensity runs extremely high.

“We have to keep our emotions in check and remember that there are high points and low points and that the meets are long. You can’t get burned out in the beginning and let emotions control the way you perform.”

The No. 9-ranked UNC men (6-0 in dual meets) are slotted to swim at noon, and the No. 11-ranked women (5-1) will begin at 3 p.m.

Even though the men’s and women’s meets are scored separately, the teams usually swim dual meets simultaneously. The different start times for the UVa. meet are going to be a difficult adjustment for UNC captain Laura Moriarty.

“It doesn’t alternate between guy and girl events,” she said. “You have to warm up, cool down and cheer on your teammates all at once. It’s going to be a constant go, go, go.”

Fourth-year coach Rich DeSelm said that despite the teams’ emotions and expectations, the meet won’t make or break UNC’s seasons.

“We are doing everything we can to prepare,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotion when we swim against Virginia, but at the end of the day it’s all about competing — swimming, racing and diving our best. It’s not the culmination of our season.”

Virginia’s men are ranked No. 14, while the Cavalier women are ranked No. 9. Both teams sport a 5-1 dual meet record and are 2-0 against ACC opponents.

“There’s really no reason we can’t beat them,” Moriarty said. “We’ve had the best start as a team since I came to Carolina, and this year we’re staying calm and trying not to get too caught up in the rush of the rivalry.”

This weekend’s meet will result in an ACC loss for at least one team, but for UNC sophomore Carly Smith, it’s a little more personal.

“For me, it’s getting that victory I want,” she said. “I chose UNC over UVa. for school because I wanted to be first in the ACCs. I got second to a UVa. swimmer in the conference meet last year, and this time I want to get a win for the team.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.