Blue Devils Compete in Greensboro This Weekend

11/16/2016 1:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

By: Duke Sports Information

NC STATE GAC INVITE

When: Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 18-20 l All Day

Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center l Greensboro, N.C.

Live Results

Connect: Twitter @Duke_Swim_Dive l Facebook /DukeSWIMDIVE l Instagram @duke_swim_dive

DUKE

Roster l Coaches l Season Top Times l Schedule & Results l Shanley Video Preview

NOTES

DURHAM, N.C. – After opening the fall with a series of dual meets, the Duke swimming and diving teams will take part in invitational action for the first time this season Thursday through Saturday at the NC State GAC Invite in Greensboro, N.C.

The championship-style invitational will feature three days of preliminaries and finals, with sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m. each morning and 5:30 p.m. each evening.

Strong Field Headed to Greensboro
A combined 15 men's and women's programs will descend upon the Greensboro Aquatic Center for the inaugural meet hosted by the Wolfpack. The field includes eight squads listed in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll, including No. 1 NC State, No. 19 Tennessee and No. 21 Notre Dame on the men's side and No. 6 NC State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Duke, No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 20 North Carolina on the women's side.

The Air Force men, Blue Devil men (RV), Marshall women, Miami women, North Carolina men (RV) and West Virginia men and women will also compete in Greensboro.

Schedule of Events
Thursday: 200 Freestyle Relay, 500 Freestyle, 200 Individual Medley, 50 Freestyle, Women's 3-Meter Diving, Men's 1-Meter Diving, 400 Medley Relay

Friday: 200 Medley Relay, 400 Individual Medley, 100 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, Women's 1-Meter Diving, Men's 3-Meter Diving, 800 Freestyle Relay

Saturday: 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Diving, 400 Freestyle Relay

Last Time Out
The Blue Devils hosted a pair of highly-competitive teams in their home opener Oct. 29 in Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion. The men (3-1, 0-1 ACC) came away with a 185-110 win over Northwestern and the women (3-1, 1-1 ACC) fell to a fourth-ranked Wolfpack team, 177-123.

Duke divers Kirby Quinn, Mackenzie Willborn, Nathaniel Hernandez and Evan Moretti combined to sweep all four springboard events on the day. Senior Kaz Takabayashi claimed the men's 100-yard backstroke and 100 butterfly while classmate Peter Kropp won both breaststroke events and Michael Miller took the 200 butterfly and 200 IM. Junior Isabella Paez (200 butterfly) and freshman Alyssa Marsh (100 butterfly) led the way for the Blue Devil women, while the men edged Northwestern in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Women Climb to 15th in CSCAA Poll
The Blue Devil women earned the highest national ranking in program history Nov. 9, coming in at No. 15 in the CSCAA top 25. The squad jumped four spots following its competitive dual meet against NC State.

Duke's men continued to receive votes in the national rankings, sitting just three spots outside the top 25.

For a complete look at the national poll, click here.

Blue Devils in the National Landscape
Though just two meets into the 2016-17 campaign, a number of Blue Devils have established themselves among the top performers in the ACC and nationwide. The senior trio of Kropp (54.58), Dylan Payne (54.72) and Michael Seaberg (54.84) ranks among the top 25 nationally in the 100 breaststroke while the men's 200 (1:28.38) and 400 medley (3:16.74) and 200 freestyle (1:21.34) relays are all among the top 20 in the country.

On the women's side, senior Maddie Rusch comes in at No. 24 nationally in the 50 freestyle (22.81) and Marsh No. 25 in the 100 butterfly (53.97). Junior Verity Abel owns the country's 10th-fastest time to date in the mile (16:48.55), followed by rookie teammate Brittany Kampfer at No. 24 (17:03.39). The Duke women also feature three relays in the top 25 nationally – the 200 freestyle relay (1:31.79), 400 freestyle relay (3:22.91) and the 200 medley relay (1:40.49).

In diving, Hernandez (333.15) and Moretti (381.90) are ninth in the ACC in the men's 1-meter and 3-meter events, respectively, while Quinn is ranked 10th in the conference at the 1-meter height (283.80).

Shanley Begins Season-Long Video Series
Senior Ashleigh Shanley and Blue Devil Network will help keep Duke swimming and diving fans updated on the program throughout the season in a new video series. Check out her first update of the fall, featuring a recap of two dual meets and interviews with teammates Rusch, Seaberg and Marsh.

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