North Carolina men and women's swim teams earn honors in NCAA

One week after North Carolina swimmer Stephanie Peacock captured an NCAA title in the mile and led the Tar Heel women to a 19th place finish in the NCAA championship meet, the UNC men took their turn and continued the success in the pool.

The UNC men finished 14th this weekend at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way, Wash. The finish was the highest of any team in the ACC. The Tar Heels narrowly edged 15th-place Virginia.

The men’s team has now finished in the top 15 three years in a row, and in 14th place for the past two years.

“We just finished a three-year run that was the best we have done since 1956-58,” UNC coach Rich DeSelm said. “It is really gratifying for our team to have some really talented people graduate, but still maintain that 14th place that we had last year.”

Senior Steve Cebertowicz finished sixth in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, swimming his season-best time of 42.72 and earning All-America honors in the 100-yard event.

“Steve Cebertowicz was instrumental on a number of relays, and this was the first time he scored in the top eight in both the 50 and the 100,” DeSelm said.

Cebertowicz was not the only athlete in the water earning points for UNC, as junior Tom Luchsinger and senior diver David MacDonald also performed well in individual events.

“This was our second year in a row that all the men that went to the meet scored and came back All-Americans. That’s the way we’d love to do it every year,” DeSelm said.

In the women’s meet, which took place in Auburn, Ala. March 15-17, Peacock finished her 1650-yard freestyle in 15:38.79, capturing the national championship in the event. Her time broke the existing NCAA record set in 1990.

“I have rarely been more impressed with an individual’s effort (than I was with Peacock’s). Any time you get a national champion that is quite an accomplishment,” DeSelm said.

Peacock narrowly defeated Wendy Trott of Georgia, the reigning three-time champion in the event.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything. This was my first time swimming the mile in four years, and to have set a record along with it, I was in shock,” Peacock said.

Peacock also finished third in the 500-yard freestyle, contributing a total of 36 points to women’s effort.

The women’s swimming and diving team finished in 19th place, with 44 points, after three days of competition. It was the team’s highest finish since the UNC women placed 17th in 2003.

“It has been a long goal of ours to get back into the top-20,” DeSelm said. “It is the first step to returning to a level that we expect ourselves to be at. It’s a good step.”

DeSelm credited much of the women’s success to their leadership.

“Senior leadership is crucial for a team to be successful. Laura Moriarty was a two-time captain and an NCAA All-American multiple times, but all our senior girls were invaluable,” DeSelm said.

DeSelm believes that the men’s and women’s finishes are signs of good things to come for his teams.

“Our goal is to break into the top-10 with both programs.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.