Tar Heels Host Two Days of Nike Invitational

Courtesy: North Carolina Athletics

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. / DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina swimming and diving teams once again host the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Invitational from Feb. 8-10. The three-day event will be split between Chapel Hill, N.C. and Durham, N.C. as the Tar Heels host Friday and Sunday in Koury Natatorium and the Duke Blue Devils hold Saturday’s events in Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion.

Preliminary races will begin each morning at 10 a.m. with finals scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s finals will begin slightly earlier at 5 p.m.

Entries include student-athletes include Duke, Johns Hopkins, NC State, North Carolina, Thomas More College, William Peace University and William & Mary.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

Fans can follow @uncswimdive on Twitter to receive information as results are made available. Live results will also be available online. A meet recap and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the completion of competition.

LAST TIME OUT

The Tar Heels celebrated their senior class of 2019 in their final dual meet of the regular season against the Duke Blue Devils. The men lost a close competition, 145-155, and the women fell 134.50-165.50. Though Carolina did not pull out the team victory, a number of student-athletes had noteworthy performances.

The Tar Heels set 16 season bests and three new personal records to win 12 individual events and the men’s 200 medley relay against their Duke rivals.

Senior co-captain and Chapel Hill, N.C. native Noah Cairns wrapped up his dual meet career in Koury Natatorium in the most fitting fashion. Cairns won the men’s 200 IM with a season-best time of 1:50.09, swam a career-best 2:02.10 in the men’s 200 breast and finished the men’s 200 fly in a season-best 1:49.98 for the runner-up finish.

Adding to the list of new lifetime bests, sophomore swimmer Nick Palmer and freshman diver Emily Grund both set personal records in one of their respective events. Palmer clocked a career-best 9:24.80 in the men’s 1000 free and Grund won the women’s three-meter board with a new career record of 350.40 points.

Sophomores Alvin Jiang and Valdas Abaliksta each won two individual events and they bookended the men’s 200 medley relay with freshmen Sterling Smith and Tucker Burhans to clock UNC’s best time of the season (1:27.41).

The women’s team even swept three events, including the 100 breast, 200 breast and 1000 free. Freshman Lilly Higgs and sophomores Allie Reiter and Carolina Hauder took the top-three spots in both women’s breaststroke events and in the women’s 1000 free, senior Robyn Dryer finished first in her final dual meet appearance with junior Bryanna Cameron and Emma Layton both swimming season-best times to secure the sweep.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, FEB. 8 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Prelims – 10 a.m. / Finals – 6 p.m.

• 200 Free Relay

• 500 Free

• 200 IM

• 50 Free

• 400 Medley

SATURDAY, FEB. 9 (Durham, N.C.)

Prelims – 10 a.m. / Finals – 6 p.m.

• 200 Medley Relay

• 100 Fly

• 400 IM

• 200 Free

• 100 Breast

• 100 Back

• 800 Free Relay

SUNDAY, FEB. 10 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Prelims – 10 a.m. / Finals – 5 p.m.

• 1650 Free

• 200 Back

• 100 Free

• 200 Breast

• 200 Fly

• 400 Free Relay

**All relays are finals only