The most important part of the race isn’t the first lap, it’s the last.
North Carolina’s swimming and diving team started the first lap of the season strong. Both the men’s and women’s teams ranked in the top 15 in the coaches polls at the end of the fall semester. Now after returning from winter break, UNC begins the crucial part of its season with a series of dual meets before the ACC tournament in March.
“Dual meets in January are huge,” said senior J.T. Stilley. “A lot of teams can come out rusty after having two months off.”
While the Tar Heels did have to shake off some rust from the long wait, they opened dual competition by soundly defeating both the Navy men and women despite a short weather delay.
In the next month, UNC will face conference rivals Virginia, N. C. State University and Duke.
“Every meet we go to at this point is going to be practice for ACC’s,” said senior Stephanie Peacock.
UNC’s swimmers will be looking to fine-tune their workout and training regimens to help their bodies reach peak physical condition and maximize their performance in the last lap of the season. The last few meets will determine which swimmers the coaches decide to take to the ACC tournament and who qualifies for the NCAA championships at the end of the season.
“People have to differentiate themselves from their teammates,” said coach Rich DeSelm. “then we have to look into a crystal ball and figure out how they’re going to do.”
UNC finished third at last year’s ACC tournament, behind both Virginia and Virginia Tech. DeSelm believes this year’s team is capable of more.
