The North Carolina swimming and diving team (1-3) defeated Navy (7-1) in a convincing showing Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland.
What happened?
In the first meet of the 2017 calendar year, UNC's men's team won 170-130 while the women claimed a 179-119 victory for each team's first win of the year. The Tar Heel men won 11 of their 16 events on the day, led by seniors Jorden Merrilees and Jack Nyquist and junior Henry Campbell. Merrilees, who transferred from Oakland University, won events in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke and was part of the relay team that won the 400-yard freestyle event. Campbell was victorious in the 1,000-yard and 500-yard freestyle, while Nyquist won both the three-meter diving event and one-meter event.
The women’s team also had an outstanding day, winning 11 events of their own. Junior Caroline Baldwin and seniors Hellen Moffitt and Sarah Hitchens each won three events, including both relays. Junior Elissa Dawson swept the diving events and senior Macey Arnold won in the 500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyle.
Who stood out?
The Tar Heels were carried by upperclassmen, with Merrilees winning three events and Campbell and Nyquist each winning two events for the men’s team. The women’s team had five members that stood out, including Baldwin, Moffitt and Hitchens, who each won three events. Dawson and Arnold were also terrific for the women and won two events each.
When was it decided?
The outcome was decided early on in the meet for the Tar Heels. The men’s team finished third in its first event before winning the next three events to jump out to a strong lead that it didn't relinquish. The women’s side had a strong start that included wins in three of its first four events.
