UNC Last Chance Meet
- February 24, 2023
- Kour Natatorium Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals – 1 Day Last Chance Meet
- Results on Meet Mobile: “UNC Last Chance Meet”
UNC is hosting a Last Chance Meet this weekend, giving student-athletes one final crack at NCAA qualifying ahead of next week’s official invitations.
Unlike many meets, which are spread across multiple days, UNC is running through the full event schedule in a single day on Friday. In prelims, we identified a singular result that should impact NCAA qualifications, and it came from that school 9 miles to the east in the Research Triangle.
Duke swimmer Catherine Purnell swam 1:55.55 in prelims of the 200 fly. While her previous season-best of 1:56.24 would have likely left her on the outside of the bubble, her new time should easily put her into the NCAA Championship meet.
Purnell previously ranked 44th in the NCAA in the 200 fly, thanks to her swim that earned 9th place at the ACC Championships. That drop, though, vaulter her all the way up to a tie for 28th place. With 38-42 swimmers usually earning invites to the NCAA Championships in each event, that puts her solidly in qualifying position, even with the Pac-12 and a few other Last Chance Meets remaining.
Purnell’s swim also improves her own lifetime best of 1:55.61 from last season, and inches her to #2 on the school’s all-time list. Martina Peroni broke the Duke Record earlier this year in 1:53.76, but coming into the season, Isa Paez’s school record was 1:54.93.
Finals will pick up from Chapel Hill at 6:00 Eastern Time, where swimmers from other ACC schools, including Virginia and NC State, will look to improve their chances at NCAA qualifying.
Martina Peroni has the Duke record at 1:53.76 (from January).
how did she secure a bid if she hasn’t officially secure a bid with an A cut?