ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In the long-awaited return to athletic events back on campus, the UNC Asheville Swimming and Diving team kicked off the Bulldog Blue & White Showdown Presented by TD Bank Saturday morning at the Justice Center Pool. Both sides proved to be evenly matched, with the Blue team pulling out a slim 120.5-115.5 victory over the White team.
“It was great to be back in the pool,” said UNC Asheville Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins. “I was so excited we were able to kick off the Bulldog Blue & White Showdown for all the Bulldogs with some swimming and diving events.”
As mentioned earlier, the matchup between the Blue & White teams on Saturday was a close one. The White team was able to pick up the top spot in three of the four relays, but the deciding factor proved to be the Blue team’s success individually as they logged six wins in nine such events.
Amelia Ham of the Blue team led all swimmers with three event wins on the day, while fellow Blue team member Alexis Walker wasn’t far behind logging two first-place nods herself. Nora Segurola Larrinaga logged the final event win for the Blue team. As for the White team, it received top spot point totals from Kylie Johnson (500 Free), Delaney Carlton (50 Free), and Addison Wright (100 Back).
The lone relay win for the Blue team came in the 200-yard medley relay, which was the morning’s first event. The four swimmers apart of that relay were Larrinaga, Ham, Alexis Baker, and Abby Parks. Meanwhile, the White team achieved its relay success by committee as nine different swimmers were used to notch those three victories.
“We are impressed with how far the team members have come in such a short time,” Lykins said. “Of course we see plenty of areas for improvement too. We can’t wait to watch our fellow Bulldogs compete throughout the next week!”
The Bulldog Blue & White Showdown Presented by TD Bank will resume on Sunday with the golf team competing at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. Check out the preview for that event, which includes team rosters and format by clicking HERE.
