Moriarty grabs three titles at championships

An ear-splitting roar permeated the Koury Natatorium as North Carolina swimmer Laura Moriarty broke away from the field during the final length of the 400-yard individual medley.

At the sight of her winning time on the scoreboard, the 5-foot-4 sophomore flung a pointed finger high in the air as her face lit up.

And at the same time, a piece of history came tumbling down.

On the third day of the women’s ACC Swimming and Diving Championships, Moriarty’s first-place finish in the 400-yard IM broke the 21-year-old pool record set by four-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans.

Moriarty would help lead UNC to a second-place finish in the championship with 642.5 points. Virginia won the championship for the third year in a row with 877.5. Florida State rounded out the top three with 545.

“She is a phenomenal competitor, and she’s got a great attitude,” coach Rich DeSelm said. “She loves to race, and she’s really good at it. She executed things perfectly.”

In addition to her record-breaking win, Moriarty also won the 100-yard breaststroke and shared first place in the 200-yard breaststroke after the event ended in a dead heat. For the second time in one weekend, she was able to come up from behind and score a win.

“I was just thinking, last event in the ‘Heels’ House,’” Moriarty said. “You can’t lose that.”

UNC freshmen Carly Smith and Katie Nolan proved that experience wasn’t necessary for success.

Smith took second place and racked up two NCAA automatic cuts in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, falling both times to Virginia’s Mei Christensen.

Nolan took second place in the 100-yard butterfly, and both Nolan and Smith were members of the second-place 400-yard medley relay.

UVa. won 14 of 18 events and all five relays over the weekend, leaving little room for Tar Heel victories. But despite a commanding effort, DeSelm was disappointed in several aspects of UNC performances.

“We need to keep building on our team purpose and our dedication and devotion to improving the little things that make a difference at a level like this,” DeSelm said. “That’s our job as coaches to guide them. We’re supposed to teach them, we just need to do a better job.”

Though North Carolina came up short, the attitude of UNC swimmers at the conclusion of the meet wasn’t as somber as might be expected — especially for one swimmer in particular.

“It’s a great day (to be a Tar Heel),” Moriarty said. “Every day is.”


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