DURHAM, N.C. – The Blue Devil men and women round out the regular season Saturday by welcoming Tobacco Road rival North Carolina to Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion. Duke will honor its 11-member senior class prior to the 11 a.m. dual meet, which will be streamed on Blue Devil Network Plus.
Saturday Marks Senior Day in Taishoff
Duke will recognize the 11 members of its senior class Saturday at 10:45 a.m. on the pool deck … Seniors David Armstrong, Victor Chen, Linsay Cooper, Kathryn Eckhart, Delaney Lagrew, Kendall McClenney, Lexi Mendes, Kiera Molloy, Kenny Ng, Ryan Prince and Chelsea Ye will be honored for their contributions to the program’s development over the last four seasons.
“This senior group has been an absolutely great catalyst addition to our program over the years,” said head coach Dan Colella. “They’ve seen this program really grow and develop. And they’ve been instrumental in that. They’ve seen ups and downs in the program. It definitely is a group of seniors that will be very much missed, not just for their talents in the pool, but a whole array of reasons. These are very driven individuals who have been successful both in the classroom as well as the pool. We’re looking forward to them having continued success as they open up a new chapter in their lives.”
Duke Squads Earn CSCAA Scholar All-America Accolades
The College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced Wednesday the Fall Scholar All-America Teams, with the Blue Devil women and men both receiving the distinction for the previous semester … The women compiled a collective grade point average of 3.41 to rank second among ACC squads … The men tied for first among conference teams with a combined grade point average of 3.18 for the fall … For more information, check out the full release.
Last Time Out
After making program history by extending their unbeaten streaks into January, the men’s and women’s teams ran into a tough test Jan. 16 in Atlanta … Facing ranked men’s and women’s teams from Indiana and Michigan, as well as host Georgia Tech, the Blue Devil women came away with the lone win, topping the Yellow Jacket women by a 198-101 margin … Freshmen divers Evan Moretti and Mackenzie Willborn won the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions, respectively, and sophomore Leah Goldman added a first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly … The women (7-2) improved to 3-0 in ACC action while the men dropped to 6-3 (2-1 ACC) following the quad meet.
A Look at Duke
Junior Peter Kropp continues to rank among the national leaders in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke with his season-opening clocking of 52.13, while senior Victor Chen is third in the ACC at the 200-yard distance. Kropp and 200 and 400 medley relay teammates Kaz Takabayashi, David Armstrong and James Peek are third in the league with their showing at the Nike Cup Invitational, while Mike Seaberg, Armstrong, Dylan Payne and Peek are second in the ACC in the 200 freestyle relay. The women’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays both rank among the top 10 in the country, and junior Maddie Rusch is 10th nationally and third in the ACC in the 50 freestyle (19.79) following the Nike Cup.
Scouting the Tar Heels
The 16th-ranked North Carolina women are 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference entering a double dual with NC State and Virginia Friday evening in Chapel Hill … The 19th-ranked Tar Heel men own an overall ledger of 5-2 and are also 1-0 against ACC foes … In their last outing Jan. 9, both squads earned victories over Navy … Individually, North Carolina’s Emma Nunn ranks second in the ACC in the 1,000 freestyle (9:53.08) and Ben Colley is third in the 200 butterfly (1:45.20).
Colella’s Take
“With it being UNC, that’s always an added incentive to perform,” Colella said. “It’s Senior Day and every year the seniors get amped up for that last day, as does the team. We should have a fairly large crowd – we’re expecting quite a few people to be here for the meet, which always makes it more energized. And I think, in previous years, it’s the Duke-UNC rivalry but it’s been one-sided. North Carolina is a great team, both their men and women, but we’re a team that absolutely can compete with them.”
Swimming news courtesy of Duke Swimming & Diving.