Valdas Abaliksta Leads UNC Charge Over Duke with Breaststroke Double

DUKE V. UNC MEN

• January 29, 2021
• Chapel Hill, NC
• Results
• Scores
  • North Carolina 219.5, Duke 80.5
• Notable absences
  • UNC: Tyler Hill (no longer on roster)
  • Duke: Coleman Kredich

The North Carolina men dismantled Duke on Senior Night, starting off with a 1:26.07 in the 200 medley relay. Their 1:24.45 from mid-season still stands as the #5 relay nationally. The Tar Heels had a 23.72 breast leg from senior Valdas Abaliksta and a 20.82 fly leg from freshman Boyd Poelke to finish 1.5 seconds ahead of Duke’s A, which had a 20.95 fly leg from sophomore Charlie Gingrich.

Abaliksta swept the breaststroke events, hitting a 52.66 in the 100 and a 1:55.47 in the 200, coming just tenths off of season bests in both. Poelke picked up wins in both fly events, meanwhile, posting a 47.00 in the 100 and a 1:45.29 in the 200, also just tenths off of bests in both.

The Tar Heels were relentless in the free events, claiming victories in the 50 free through the 1000 free. Junior Tomas Sungalia accounted for two of those wins, going 43.89 in the 100 free and  1:35.29 in the 200 free. In the 50 free, seniors Eli Coan and Jack Messenger scrambled to the wall, with Coan getting the win (20.09) over Messenger (20.10).

Senior Dimitrios Dimitriou took the 500 free (4:23.37), while freshman Patrick Hussey nabbed the win in the longest event of the day, the 1000 free (9:12.40).

Duke picked up two wins on the day, as junior David Hallaron posted a 1:44.82 in the 200 back and junior Cole Reznick clocked a 1:48.66 in the 200 IM.

Junior Anton Down-Jenkins was victorious on both boards, while junior Tucker Burhans was 48.01 to take the 100 back and UNC went 2:56.87 for the fastest time in the 400 free relay. Between their A, B and C relays, UNC had four men split 43’s– Sungalia was 43.91 leading off the B, senior Daniel Koenigsperger was 43.39 on the second leg of the A, sophomore Santos Villalon was 43.73 on a C relay split and Burhans split a 43.99 on the B relay.