The following is a press release courtesy of the ACC:
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina sophomore Jack Nyquist and teammate Elissa Dawson helped the Tar Heels capture two ACC Swimming and Diving weekly awards, as each turned in solid performances against Louisville this past weekend. Also earning weekly honors were Florida State’s Connor Knight and Louisville’s Tanja Kylliainen after strong performances of their own.
Florida State’s Knight, who earned ACC Male Swimmer of the Week honors, continued to show off his dominance in the fly races while helping the Seminole relays to four season best times. In the 200 fly, Knight recorded an NCAA B-cut, turning in a season best time of 1:45.04. The senior’s time is the fifth best mark in the country this season and the second fastest in the ACC. In the second portion of the meet, Knight clocked a 47.23 in the 100 fly, marking the fastest swim in the NCAA this season in the event.
North Carolina’s Nyquist took home the ACC Male Diver of the Week after he swept the diving events in the Tar Heels dual meet against Louisville. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native edged out teammate Sean Burston in the 1-meter diving, prevailing by 1.43 points. In the 3-meter competition, Nyquist was dominant as he scored 423.82 points, a score nearly 59 points ahead of second-place Sean Piner of Louisville. His 3-meter score was the highest of the season and just shy of his collegiate career-best of 436.58 set against Texas as a freshman.
Louisville’s Kylliainen grabbed ACC Female Swimmer of the Week after a strong showing against the Tar Heels. The senior finished the meet with NCAA B-cut times in four different races. In the first event of day two, Kylliainen swam a 25.71 split as a member of the 200-medley relay team which edged their Tar Heel counterparts by 0.84 seconds. The Towson, Maryland, native won the 200 IM with an NCAA B-cut time of 1:58.48 and the 200-fly with another B-cut time of 1:56.37. Kylliainen also won the women’s 100 backstroke with an NCAA B-cut time of 54.29 and dominated the 400 IM with a B-cut time of 4:14.04.
North Carolina’s Dawson was named ACC Female Diver of the Week after winning both diving events to help lead the Tar Heels edge the Cardinals. Dawson won the 1-meter with a season-high score of 323.48, nearly 27 points ahead of second place. On the 3-meter board, Dawson set a new school record score of 384.08, breaking her own record score of 355.13 set earlier this year against Georgia. The freshman has won five of eight events to date in North Carolina’s four dual meets.