Usually a date with the University of North Carolina is an occasion of much anticipation for a Duke sports team. However, in the world of swimming and diving, the favorite is so clear-cut that neither team even contemplates an upset when Duke travels to Chapel Hill tonight.
"We're not going to compete against UNC," Duke head coach Bob Thompson said bluntly. "We're well aware of that before we ever go into the meet. Coach [Frank] Comfort of Carolina does a really nice job lining it up so we can have some competitive races and a competitive experience."
North Carolina boasts a women's team ranked 15th in the nation, and the men's squad began the year ranked 24th. The Tar Heels will not present the Blue Devils with their strongest lineup; the contest will be more akin to a scrimmage.
"It's a meet that we will approach differently than...the Eastern Carolina meet coming up this Saturday where we'll really get up, get ready, prepare and put up a lineup we think has an opportunity to win," Thompson said.
The Blue Devils are riding high after inspirational wins against UNC Wilmington Saturday. The Duke women were triumphant in every event and soundly defeated the Seahawks, 157-81. The men were led by Teddy Helfers and John Humphery, who each won two events and led their squad to an impressive 141-100 victory.
"The UNC-Wilmington meet was the most exciting, energizing meet I've ever been a part of in my four years at Duke," senior Amy Halligan said. "We swam great in all events, and I couldn't believe all the close races where we were just able to touch them out."
And even though tonight's matchup will sport a much less competitive atmosphere than last weekend's thrilling victory, no one on the Duke squad believes that the team will slack off against UNC.
"No, we're always motivated.... In swimming, the opportunities to get up, go and swim fast are so limited that you've got to take advantage of each one," Thompson said.
Most of the Blue Devils, however, have their eyes on the future and prefer to view Tuesday's event as preparation for the weeks ahead.
But don't expect the competitive spirit to be totally lacking. After all, this is UNC.
"I think this year, we'll provide a bigger surprise than before," senior Chris Brede hinted. "In the past we would go in there and it would be a scrimmage for them.... This year I think we're going to show them some fast swimming they've never seen before."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.