UNC swimming and diving teams win big events but lose overall to Virginia

In their second dual meet of the spring, the North Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams fell to their University of Virginia this past week. The trip to Charlottesville ended with final scores of 144-154 for the men's team and 121-174 for the women's team.

What happened?

The Virginia women’s team established a dominant presence very early on in the meet, winning the first three events. Victories for North Carolina soon came from junior Grace Countie, who secured the victory in the women’s 100-yard backstroke and junior Heidi Lowe, who prevailed in the women’s 50-yard freestyle. 

First-year diver Aranza Vazquez and junior Emily Grund soon asserted themselves, securing first and second, respectively, in both the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter dives.

The North Carolina women’s team also saw victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay, thanks to solid performances from Countie, junior Sophie Lindner, Lowe, and first-year Brieanna Romney.

Ultimately, though, the Virginia women raced past the Tar Heels and amassed 174 points to North Carolina’s 121.

The men’s team won first place in the first event, the 200-yard medley relay. From there, first place went back and forth between North Carolina and Virginia. 

First-year Boyd Poelke won first place in two events, the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard butterfly.

Junior Anton Down-Jenkins won first place in the men’s 1-meter dive and 3-meter dive, securing 18 points for the Tar Heels.

The last event, the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay, eventually put Virginia over the edge, as they finished with 154 points as North Carolina finished with 144.

Head coach Mark Gangloff was pleased with the team’s performance.

“I’m really happy with the way our team competed yesterday,” Gangloff said. “Virginia’s a very strong program nationally, and we held our own and we won a lot of events.”

Who stood out? 

First-year Boyd Poelke continues to have impressive showings and perform well in events after events for North Carolina.

“Our freshman Boyd Poelke, he is getting better every time he touches the water,” Gangloff said. “To watch his evolution has been a lot of fun lately.”

More impressive performances came from Lowe, who placed third in the 100-yard freestyle in addition to her wins in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

“She won the 50 freestyle and had some really nice relay legs,” Gangloff said. “Her growth as an athlete has been immense, and her leadership outside of the pool has been invaluable to the team as well.”

When was it decided?

The Virginia women’s team quickly secured a lead over North Carolina, despite multiple North Carolina victories in the freestyle relay and diving events.

The men’s teams were much closer in score, so close that it came down to the final event. Virginia won the 200-yard freestyle relay, propelling them past North Carolina to victory.

Why does it matter?

The teams have had a shaky start to their season, but Gangloff is optimistic about their progress.

“We’re getting a little bit better every time we compete," Gangloff said. I think we were a little bit better than we were last week at NC State, and hopefully we’ll be a little bit better tomorrow against South Carolina.”

After a season-opening dual meet loss to N.C. State and two individual team losses to the school from November, UNC is still seeking its first meet victory. The teams will now have to wait until their next road trip for that chance.

When do they play next?

The North Carolina swimming and diving teams will travel to Columbia, S.C. to compete against South Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 24.