After a week of honors for Duke swimmers—including senior Spencer Booth, who won the Cousilman-Hunsaker National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week honor Wednesday, and freshman Christine Wixted, who earned the ACC Performer of the Week award—Saturday was a fall back to earth. The Blue Devils lost to N.C. State in a meet at home, with Campbell University also participating.
The Duke men (2-1, 1-1 in the ACC) trailed for the majority of the meet and fell to a dominant Wolfpack squad,181-119. Except for sophomore diver Nick McCrory, who took the one-meter and three-meter diving titles, the Blue Devils failed to finish in first place in a single event.
The Duke women (1-3, 0-2) swept Campbell 238-49. They almost found their first conference win of the season as well, leading the Wolfpack by 10 points when the final event of the evening, the 400-freestyle relay, began. N.C. State took first and second place honors in that race, though, and gained enough points to put the team over the top, 150-147.
Wixted continued her strong swimming against the Wolfpack, taking the 100-yard breaststroke and leading the Blue Devils to the 200-yard medley relay title with Meghan Dwyer, Steffi Niessl and Lauren Weaver. Wixted also took the 400-yard IM and the 200-yard breaststroke.
Duke’s swimmers will not take to the pool again in the fall, picking things back up Jan. 7 in a meet with Ohio State, Wright State and N.C. State in Columbus, Ohio.
The Blue Devil divers compete again Nov. 18-20 at the Nike Cup in Chapel Hill and Durham.
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