The swimming and diving team had its annual Red & White Meet on Friday. The Casey Natatorium got loud at times with positive encouragement from team members, friends, family and fans.
The scrimmage was a way for the team to get a sneak peak at how the teams have improved as it opens the season this coming Saturday against East Carolina and William & Mary in Greenville.
Both the red and the white teams competed in several swimming and diving events, going head-to-head with their fellow teammates. According to Ted Hautau, the diving coach, going against teammates is some of the hardest competition.
Throughout the entire meet, the red and white squads were pretty evenly matched up. The women’s red team beat the white team 124.5-111.5. Yet the men’s white team took the close win 130-129. Overall, the red team prevailed with 253.5-241.5 against the white squad.
In the 200-yard medley relay, both the red teams took first. Sophomore Anna Linkenauger and junior Andrew Lester kept the red team in the lead, each winning the 500-yard freestyle. Lucy Lindsey pulled another win for the red women’s squad in the 200-yard freestyle.
The white team didn’t score until Jon Vorpagel won the 200-yard freestyle. As the event went on, Stephen Mellor finished first in the 200-yard backstroke, and Mike Seiferth won the 100-yard butterfly for the red team. Dan Forsythe kept the white team alive with a win in the 200-yard breaststroke. Chelsea Ale won the one-meter diving for the white team, and Kristin Davies took the three-meter diving win. For the men, Austin Hampton of the red team won both the one-meter and three-meter diving.
“I was pleased with the way things went today,” Hautau said. “I am positive going into the season.”
Swimming coach Brooks Teal also said the team did well.
“I was impressed today,” Teal said. “I feel really good about the hard work the swimmers and the divers have put in this summer, and I think it really shows.”
With so many positive aspects coming from the annual scrimmage, Teal still said the swimmers need to work on their sprint freestyle.
“That will be the key to their success,” Teal said.
Linkenauger said after the women’s team finished 10th in the ACC last season, she has hopes to move up as far as sixth.
“I just want to keep getting better and better,” Linkenauger said.
Improvements needed for the diving team are a little more specific, according to Hautau. “These guys just need to have a better awareness of some technical stuff, in terms of knowing where the water is,” Hautau said. “They need a little more precision where they can be in control of what they are doing.”
Junior Austin Hampton, who dove for the red team on Friday, said he is ready for the season to start.
“The dive team is going to be fun to watch. I’m extremely excited for this season,” Hampton said. “And I think everyone is going to do really well.” Hampton said he has high expectations because of Hautau’s approach.
“We have morning practices five times a week and four double practices,” Hampton said. “Ted’s been working us harder than we have ever worked before, but I think it’s going to be good.”
