The UNC softball team concluded its long weekend on Sunday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with a 5-4 loss to the Memphis Tigers.
Junior pitcher Hannah George started on the mound for the Tar Heels but was replaced in the second inning after allowing four early runs. UNC tied the game up with a big second inning, scoring four runs on a pair of errors by the Tigers. Two errors by the Tar Heels in the third inning provided Memphis with what would be the winning run, as the rest of the game was dominated by pitchers fifth year Brittany Pickett and Memphis senior Mariah Nichols.
The loss moved the Tar Heels to 5-5 on the season after they went just 1-4 in Tuscaloosa. The main bright spot for the Tar Heels has been the continued great play of Pickett, who won ACC Pitcher of the Week last weekend. Pickett pitched 25.2 innings at the Crimson Classic and only allowed two earned runs. UNC will face Connecticut, South Carolina and Elon in the Carolina Classic between Friday and Sunday.
Michael Meares, staff writer
Fencing ACC Championship: UNC men, 2nd, UNC women, 2nd
First-year Reza Merchant earned the gold medal in the epee championship, becoming the first North Carolina fencer to achieve this victory since Alan Knight in 1976.
In the sabre division, junior Beni Rabinowtiz took home the silver medal with first-year Alec Mulvaney finishing just behind him, earning the bronze. Sophomore Connor Head also earned the silver medal in the foil competition.
In the men's group event, Duke came out on top with UNC finishing second and Boston College finishing third.
In the women’s individual epee championships, first-year Erica Oake placed fourth, the highest for a Tar Heel in this event. First-year Tarleton Hunt finished fourth in the foil championships, with teammates junior Aubrey Molloy, sophomore Sarah Followill, and senior Sylvia Zou coming in seventh, eleventh, and twelfth, respectively.
In the women’s individual sabre championships, sophomore Abigale Parker finished sixth and was the top finisher in this event for the Tar Heels.
The women’s group event resulted in a second place finish for the Tar Heels with rival Duke taking the gold medal and Boston College going home with the bronze.
Karlie Nielson, staff writer
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Men's tennis: UNC 4, Georgia Tech 1
The No. 1 North Carolina men’s tennis team (8-0, 2-0 ACC) continued its dominant start to the season, winning its tenth consecutive match in Atlanta against Georgia Tech (6-5, 1-3 ACC) on Sunday afternoon.
Despite an early doubles loss from the team of first-year Adam Neff and senior Mac Kiger, sophomore Rinky Hijikata and senior Benjamin Sigouin went on to win their doubles match, 6-1. Then, senior William Blumberg and junior Brian Cernoch secured the doubles point for UNC, winning their match by a score of 6-2.
All three of North Carolina’s singles victories came in commanding fashion, each being a straight-set win.
No. 2 Blumberg followed up his success earlier in the day with a strong singles victory against Georgia Tech's Marcus McDaniel, winning his first set 6-0 and claiming the win with a 6-4 win in the second. Other key singles wins came from No. 55 Hijikata and Cernoch.
After claiming two ACC wins this weekend over Clemson and Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels will look to continue their unbeaten record at Louisville on Friday, March 5.
Erin Singleton, staff writer
Women's swimming
The North Carolina women’s swimming and diving team hosted a Last Chance Meet this Sunday, giving five Tar Heel individual swimmers and two relay teams the opportunity to qualify for NCAA Tournament invites.
At the meet, the 200-yard medley relay team made the “A” cut, automatically qualifying for the field, while the 200 Yard Free Relay team and other individuals made the “B” cut.
Swimmers and teams that achieved "A" cut standards are automatically invited to the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Those that achieved a "B" level score will be chosen to fill the events up until all events have an equal number of competitors and until the tournament has reached its maximum number of competitors — 235 for the men and 281 for the women.
Junior Lilly Higgs, sophomore Ellie VanNote, junior Grace Countie, junior Heidi Lowe and first-year Lexi Rudolph were among the individual swimmers who recorded "B" cut qualifications during the meet.
The men’s team will be back in Chapel Hill to compete in its own Last Chance Meet next Sunday, March 7, while the NCAA Women's Championships begin on March 7 for diving and March 17 for swimming.
Lauren Baddour, staff writer
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