Jan. 24, 2003
DURHAM, N.C. – With an impressive all-around performance, including one of the season’s best diving showings, the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each defeated Duke Friday at the Blue Devils’ Taishoff Aquatic Center. The Yellow Jacket men were victorious, 145-86, while the women downed Duke, 134-109.
The victories were both team’s first in Atlantic Coast Conference action this season. Tech’s men are now 3-5 (1-2 ACC), while the women stand 4-4 (1-2 ACC).
Tech’s divers were a big part of the victory, as the Jackets swept both the one and three-meter boards on both sides. Junior Paul McCarty led the men’s team with wins on both boards. His scores of 349.8 on the three-meter and 325.425 in the one-meter event also met the qualifying standards for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships. Joining him with a Zone-qualifying score was freshman Matt Anderson, who posted a mark of 301.35 on the one-meter board to finish second. Anderson was also third in the three-meter event.
On the women’s side, Tech took first through third on both boards, led by wins from freshman Laurissa Prystaj, who had already qualified for Zones on both boards. Sophomore Amy Sutton took second and posted Zone-qualifying marks in both events. She tallied 278.325 points in the three-meter event and 259.575 points on the one-meter board. Jessica Jopek placed third in both events.
The women also picked up five more individual wins, led by sophomores Lisa Hancock and Moeko Wallis, who each won a pair of events. Hancock, whose sister Lauren swims for Duke, won both the 1000 and 500 free. Her time of 5:08.95 stands as her season-best mark. Wallis was victorious in both the 50 (24.74) and 100 free (53.58). Freshman Meghan DeVinney took first in the 200 fly with a season-best time of 2:04.81.
Tech’s men also posted five individual swimming victories, led by senior All-American Shilo Ayalon, who won both the 200 (1:43.15) and 500 free (4:39.37). Freshman Brian Browning took the 200 back in a season-best mark of 1:54.69. Other wins came from freshman Ryan Riebesell in the 50 free (21.73) and senior James Salazar in the 200 fly (1:54.85).
The Jackets return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. against NC State in Raleigh.
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