'Canes Swimmers Look to Make Splash in North Carolina
Oct. 24, 2008
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami swimming and diving team travels back to the state of North Carolina this weekend as they take part in a match-up with Duke University and Campbell University at the Taishoff Aquatics Center in Durham, N.C. This is the second trek north to North Carolina for the Hurricanes this year, and their third meeting of the young campaign with an ACC competitor.
The Hurricanes ran away with last week’s meeting with cross-town foe FIU to stretch their record for the year to 3-2. This is the second consecutive year the Hurricanes have hoisted a winning record at this juncture of the season.
“I’m really excited for this weekend because we are pretty similar teams and its going to be a big challenge for the girls,” explained third-year head coach Christie Shefchunas. “There are probably going to be a lot of close races and I’m excited to see who steps up.”
Miami looks to rebound against a good Duke team after losing their last head-to-head meet with the Blue Devils back on November 5, 2005. Duke enters the meet with a 1-0 record after defeating UNC Wilmington and setting eight pool records.
The `Canes completed a strong showing last weekend after winning all of their diving events and taking an unparalleled 20 top-three times/scores in the meet. All-American and 2008 National Champion Brittany Viola took first place in the 1-meter event. Miami also earned first place marks in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle, as well as numerous other events. They also swam the 100-butterfly for the first time all year with sophomore Annika Saarnak recording the best result of a 57.89-second time.
About Duke…
Duke enters Saturday’s meet with a record of 1-0 to start the season. The Blue Devils set eight pool records in their defeat of UNC Wilmington this past weekend. Freshman Meghan Dwyer set a UNC Wilmington pool record by finishing the 100-yard backstroke in 57.36, and fellow freshman diver Abby Johnson set a Duke University record with a score for the 1-meter dive of 322.48.
Last Time vs. Duke…
The last time these two teams faced each other, Duke prevailed by the narrow margin of only eight points. Saturday will be the second time that Miami has squared off against Duke since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Miami vs. FIU Recap…
Miami had an impressive showing against cross-town rival FIU last weekend at home, winning nine of the thirteen scheduled events. Men’s and women’s diving swept their events, while the swimmers took first place in a majority of the others.
Divers Qualify for Zone `B’ Championships…
All five of UM’s divers (male and female) have now qualified for both the 1-meter and 3-meter Zone `B’ Championships.
Up Next for the Hurricanes…
Next up for Miami will be the Owls of Florida Atlantic University when they head to Coral Gables on November 8. The meet will be at the Norman A. Whitten Union Student Pool on UM’s campus and will begin at 11 a.m.
Interview Policies…
Coach Shefchunas, Coach Ableman, their assistants, and all student-athletes are available for phone and personal interviews by contacting Bryan J. Harvey in the Office of Media Relations at (305) 284-3249. Post-meet interviews will be allowed following the 10-minute cooling-off period mandated by the NCAA. Please contact Bryan J. Harvey in advance of all home meets for any special interview requests.
