After a historic swim in the Saturday morning session at the 2013 Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup, Saturday night brought about a feeling of deja vu for the North Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.
Records were falling one after the other with Tar Heel swimmers sweeping multiple races. But there was one distinct difference — the noise. Behind an energized home crowd at the Koury Natatorium, both teams coasted to first place finishes, capping a wildly successful two-day swim in the invitational.
Redshirt sophomore Dominick Glavich credited the turnout.
“It gave us a lot of energy,” he said. “You couldn’t even hear yourself think.”
The energy came early for the Tar Heels, as senior Stephanie Peacock opened the night session with a first place finish and new meet record in the 1650-yard distance freestyle. While Peacock was excited about her race, the veteran was quick to point to her teammates’ performances.
“I was happy with the record,” she said. “But having almost six Tar Heels in every single ‘A’ final, it was so exciting to see that and cheer for that.”
The depth was easily seen in the 200-yard backstroke, where both the men and women swept the event, taking first, second and third place. Sophomore Annie Harrison led the way for the women, while senior Brad Dillon paced the men’s team.
The Tar Heels’ dominance continued in the women’s 100-yard freestyle, where the squad captured another sweep, this time led by the meet record swim of sophomore Lauren Earp.
Referencing the multiple sweeps, and improved times, swimming coach Rich DeSelm was pleased with the team’s performances, specifically those of underclassmen.
