North Carolina’s swimming and diving team was a force to be reckoned with this weekend.
The No. 2 women’s team (4-1, 1-0 ACC) delivered a dominant performance, defeating No. 12 Louisville 230-123. The No. 12 men’s team (4-1, 1-0 ACC) was equally successful, with a 221-130 win over No. 14 Louisville.
The Tar Heels set the tone early on Friday — sweeping both the men’s and women’s 200-yard freestyle relay, and never relinquished their lead.
“(Louisville) really took it to us last year at Louisville. They beat us at ACCs, NCAAs, so it was kind of a revenge mindset for the guys team, and I think that we all handled the adversity pretty well,” said senior Ben Colley.
This is the third consecutive year UNC has faced Louisville in a dual-day meet, an increasingly popular trend that allows the swimmers to participate in more events and prepares them for the end of the season.
“Part of why (we have two-day meets) is to practice swimming multiple sessions in a row," Coach Rich DeSelm. "An ACC Championship is seven sessions in a row. You have to be able to be in shape, and keep your head on, and endure the length.”
Both teams relied on their depth to maintain their dominant performance through Saturday. The Tar Heel women finished with first-place wins in 13-of-19 events. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels won 14-of-19 events.
“I thought overall the energy that we had and the team spirit were great. I’m really proud of them,” DeSelm said.
