Duke Swim and Dive Ready for Weekend Action against NC State, Miami and William & Mary

After sweeping UNC Wilmington in dual meet action Oct. 26, the Duke swimming and diving teams return to the pool this weekend for a pair of competitions. The squads travel to nearby Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. to take on ACC opponents NC State and the Miami women before hosting William & Mary in the home opener at Taishoff Aquatic PavilionSaturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m.

Live Coverage of This Weekend’s Action

Results from Friday’s meet against the Wolfpack and the Miami women in Raleigh will be available on the Meet Mobile phone application while live results for Saturday’s home meet against William & Mary will be posted here<http://www.sportstiming.com/Clubs/NCAA-Duke/?SPID=2182&DB_OEM_ID=4200>. Fans can also keep up with the action by following the Blue Devils on Twitter<https://twitter.com/duke_swim_dive> (@Duke_SWIM_DIVE).

Duke Tops UNC Wilmington in First Dual Meet

The Blue Devils opened 2013-14 dual meet action Oct. 26 by sweeping UNC Wilmington with a 195.5-101.5 win on the women’s side and a 156.5-143.5 win for the men. Duke swimmers and divers combined for 18 individual and three relay wins at Seahawk Natatorium in Wilmington.

The men’s and women’s teams kicked off the meet by winning both 200-yard medley relay events, while the women’s 400 freestyle relay also took first in the final event of the day. Individually, Duke’s lineup included six double-winners in senior Hunter Knight (100 and 200 breaststroke), freshman Bradley Cline (200 and 500 freestyle), senior Nick McCrory (1 and 3-meter diving), freshman Maddie Rusch (100 and 200 freestyle), freshman Brittany Friese (500 freestyle and 200 butterfly) and senior Christine Wixted (100 breaststroke and 200 IM).

McCrory Earns ACC Male Diver of the Week Honors

The 2013 NCAA platform diving champion and 2013 ACC Men’s Diver of the Year, McCrory demolished the previous pool records on both springboards against the Seahawks to garner ACC Male Diver of the Week recognition. He posted NCAA Zone Diving Championship qualifying marks of 445.27 on the 1-meter board and 468.37 at the 3-meter height to sweep both events. The meet marked McCrory’s first collegiate action since he captured his third NCAA title on the platform and garnered All-America accolades across the three disciplines at last spring’s NCAA Championships.

Duke in the National Landscape

Senior Christine Wixted currently ranks fourth in the ACC and 27th in the country with her 100 breaststroke time of 1:03.18 against UNC Wilmington. Fellow senior Hunter Knight is among the top 30 male swimmers nationally in the 100 (56.02) and the 200 breaststroke (2:02.64), while the women’s 200 medley relay of sophomore Chelsea Ye, freshman Maddie Rusch, Christine Wixted and senior Lauren Weaver ranks seventh in the ACC with a mark of 1:43.37. In diving, senior Nick McCrory paces the conference with scores of 445.27 on the 1-meter board and 468.37 at the 3-meter height.

Freshmen Have Immediate Impact

The Blue Devils’ freshman class of 24 student-athletes has already had an impact on the men’s and women’s programs. Maddie Rusch has tallied four individual wins in two meets, in addition to competing on Duke’s relay squads, while classmate Brittany Friese collected wins in the 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly against UNC Wilmington. On the men’s side, Bradley Cline turned in a pair of first-place performances against the Seahawks and has posted the Blue Devils’ top times of the season in in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke. On the boards, rookie Kirby Quinn surpassed the NCAA Zone Diving standard on the 3-meter springboard with a score of 280.87 to win the event against the Seahawks.

Scouting the Competition

The NC State men were ranked 19th in the latest CSCAA Division I poll and enter Friday’s meet with an 1-2 ledger after topping Georgia Tech and falling to Virginia Tech and Florida State. The Wolfpack women are also ranked, coming in at No. 23 with a 2-1 record that includes wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and a loss to the Seminoles.

Senior Jonathan Boffa leads the ACC and is tied for third nationally in the 100 freestyle (44.03), and is also second in the conference and 10th nationally at the 200-yard distance (1:37.47). Boffa has also guided the Wolfpack’s 200 freestyle relay to the best time in the conference so far at 1:20.45, while classmate Ian Bishop tops the league and is eighth in the country in the 100 breaststroke (54.86). The NC State women feature the ACC’s top 200 freestyle relay, which clocked a time of 1:32.42.

The Miami women head to Raleigh with an 0-1 dual meet record, falling to Florida Gulf Coast Oct. 12. Junior diver Kara McCormack is second in the league in both 1-meter (311.55) and 3-meter diving (360.23).

Duke will face William & Mary for the first time since the 2005-06 season Saturday in the Blue Devils’ home opener. The men’s squad is 5-0 and the Tribe women are 4-2 entering the non-conference dual meet.

This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of Duke Swimming and Diving.

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About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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