UNC swimming prevails in first regular season meet

Freshman Henry Campbell went into his first collegiate swim meet without any expectations.

He blew everyone else’s out of the water, though.

Campbell won his first ever collegiate swim, the 1,000-yard freestyle, and the North Carolina men’s swimming and diving team earned a 170-130 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in a dual meet Friday afternoon.

“First meet of the year, you never know what to expect,” junior Ben Colley said. “I was most impressed with the freshmen ... They stepped up and raced hard.”

The Vols — ranked No. 21 and No. 12 for men and women, respectively — brought a sizable contingent of supporters, which, combined with the home crowd and the two teams poolside, created a raucous environment.

“We’ve been working a while to have Tennessee back on our schedule,” Coach Rich DeSelm said. “It’s a good rivalry; they’re an outstanding program.”

This environment brought the best out of the Tar Heels, though. The women, ranked No. 9 in the nation, dominated from start to finish, winning 204-96. The No. 13 men kept the score close for much of the meet before finally pulling away for the final margin of victory.

Campbell added a second place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and a fifth place finish in the 200-yard individual medley to complete his debut, scoring 14 points for UNC.

Junior Logan Heck played a part in three UNC wins, winning his 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races and propelling UNC to win the 400-yard freestyle relay. Heck and the Tar Heels also barely missed winning the 200-yard medley relay, touching the wall just over a tenth of a second slower than Tennessee.

Colley was another standout performer for the men’s team. Easy to pick out in 2013 due to a bristling beard, Colley sported only stubble against the Vols, winning the 200 and 100-yard butterfly and swimming on the winning 400-yard freestyle relay.

“It’s all about hydrodynamics,” Colley said.

Senior Danielle Siverling finished first in every one of her races, including the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relay.

The UNC women performed soundly all around, scoring well with their depth even when they didn’t have a swimmer touch the wall first.

“We had a lot of firepower all the way through,” DeSelm said.

In addition to the swimmers in the pool, the divers above made their contribution. Under the leadership of diving coach Abel Sanchez, UNC took three first place finishes.

Behind the trio of freshman Elissa Dawson, sophomore Jack Nyquist and redshirt junior Michole Timm, the diving team is expected to make an impact this season

“It’s a good start for us, starting out with a win against a great team like that,” Colley said. “It’s great for our confidence.”

sports@dailytarheel.com