UNC vs. USC-Finals
- October 26, 2024
- Chapel Hill, NC
- 25 yards (SCY)
- Scores:
- Men: UNC – 184, USC – 108
- Women: UNC – 187.5, South Carolina – 112.5
- Full Results
The University of North Carolina’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both claimed decisive victories in their home pool battle against the University of South Carolina. The two squads won a combined total of 22 events and swept six races, giving them a clear edge over their competitors.
Men’s Meet
The UNC men remain undefeated thus far into the season, with their victory over the Gamecocks bringing their dual meet record to 2-0. UNC won 11 out of the 16 events, racking up 184 points to best South Carolina’s 108 points.
The Tar Heels kicked off the meet with a 1-2 performance in the 400 medley relay. The team of Walker Davis, Ben Delmar, Boyd Poelke and Patrick Hussey raced to victory in a time of 3:08.08, which marks the 6th-fastest time this season in the event.
Not far behind them was the team of JT Schmid, Xavier Ruiz, Seb Lunak and PJ Foy, who took 2nd in a time of 3:09.16, beating out the Gamecocks by over two seconds.
UNC was on fire in the freestyle events, sweeping the 50, 100 and 200 free and quickly racking up extra points.
Five UNC swimmers posted NCAA B cuts over the course of the meet. Davis threw down a best time of 45.86 in the 100 back to slide under the qualifying time, while Louis Dramm posted his cut in the 400 IM (3:46.42). In the 100 fly, Poelke (45.93), Foy (46.06) and Lunak (46.11) all raced into the wall under the qualifying time.
Notable Results
- Delmar swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 breast in a time of 53.36 and the 200 breast in a time of 1:54.60. The times were only slightly off from the performances he posted against Auburn just a day prior, which saw him score NCAA B cuts in both events.
- Hussey turned in strong performances in the mid-distance freestyle events, winning the 200 free (1:36.61) and 500 free (4:23.62).
- Sophomore Connor Fry secured South Carolina’s first race of the meet, winning the 1000 free in a time of 9:02.83, which would land him 17th on the ranking of top times this season.
- Gamecock Max Spencer earned his first win of the season in the 3-meter diving event, scoring 335.63 points. He also took 2nd on the 1-meter, scoring 314.70 points.
- South Carolina’s 400 medley relay team of Michael Laitarovsky, Linus Kahl, Eldor Usmonov and Wylie Kruse posted a time of 3:11.39, landing them at 8th on the program’s top-10 list.
Women’s Meet
UNC’s women won their first meet of the season with a decisive victory over the Gamecocks, winning 187.5 to South Carolina’s 112.5.
The meet got off to a strong start in the Tar Heels’ favor as they claimed the first five races on their way to winning 11 of the 16 events.
UNC’s Lily Reader turned in a strong performance in the 1000 free to secure the Tar Heels’ first individual victory; she won the event in a time of 9:48.63, narrowly edging out South Carolina’s Madison Kolessar (9:49.14) and setting a new personal best time by nearly four seconds.
Reader’s performance in the 1000 also landed her a US Open qualifying time in the event.
Senior Greer Pattison was another key contributor for UNC, winning the 50 free in a season best time of 22.48. She also placed 3rd in the 100 fly with a personal best time of 53.31, earning herself an NCAA ‘B’ cut in the event. Pattison landed two more NCAA ‘B’ cuts as the leadoff on both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay, posting times of 22.45 and 52.14, respectively.
South Carolina’s Sophie Verzyl turned in a double victory on the boards, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events with scores of 336.30 and 364.43, respectively. Her performance on the 1-meter marked a season best score for her.
Another double event winner helping to keep the Gamecocks in the running was Greta Pelzek, who swept the butterfly events for the second-straight meet. She won the 100 fly in a time of 52.99 and the 200 fly in a time of 1:56.16.
Notable Results
- UNC posted 1-2-3 finishes in the 100 free; Georgia Nel won in a time of 48.81, followed by Michaela Chokureva (49.68) and Elizabeth Sowards (49.73). They were the only scoring swimmers in the field under the 50-second mark. Nel also won the 200 free in a time of 1:45.63.
- South Carolina sophomore Delaney Franklin won the 200 breast in a career best time of 2:11.52, maintaining place at 7th in the program’s top-10 performers list.
- Dylan Scholes, a freshman for the Gamecocks, anchored both the 400 medley and 200 free relays with both claiming the 8th-fastest showings in program history with times of 3:36.66 and 1:30.47, respectively.
- UNC turned in another top three sweep in the 100 back, led by Emma Karam (52.26). Sowards claimed 2nd in a time of 53.65, while Sophia Frei took 3rd in a time of 54.33.
Up Next
The Tar Heels are back in action on Nov. 1, when they host the University of Virginia. The Gamecocks return to competition the following weekend on Nov. 8, when the swim teams take on Queens University and the diving teams travel to UNC Wilmington.
It looks like UNC men have really taken a big step this season! 45 in the 100 back and 100 fly is moving for October. They are still going to be behind NC St, Cal, VT, Stanford, and Louisville but maybe battling for sixth with UVA, FSU, and GT.