Pride Packs the Pool a Huge Success
Hundreds of spectators crowded into Reynold’s Pool for Pride Packs the Pool to watch Greensboro’s men and women’s swim teams compete in their final home meet of the season. The women earned victories over both Guilford and Hollins University, while the men fell to Hampden-Sydney. The women defeated Guilford 52-33 and Hollins 49-46. The men lost 105-64.
The women began the meet by dominating the 200 Yard Medley Relay to thunderous applause from the gathered crowd. They finished in a time of 2:12.45, six seconds ahead of Guilford College. Following a tight men’s race, both teams competed well in the 1000 Yard Freestyle. Jonathon Deming finished first in men’s race with a time of 13:56.87 and Lauren Fisher grabbed second on the women’s side in a time of 16:12.64.
The Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle got Greensboro fans on their feet once more. Hampden-Sydney took the top two spots, but Ryan Hurd flew down the final stretch of the race and caught HSC’s Nik Kasper to take third place with a time of 2:19.64.
Dani Horne claimed the women’s first individual victory of the evening, finishing first in the 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 26.42. The men took third in the same event, as Robert Smith finished with a time of 28.35.
The women claimed another victory in the 200 Yard IM, this time courtesy of Taylor White. White’s time of 2:34.45 was 15 second fastest than her closet competitor. Ben Nihart finished second in the 200 IM for the men in a time of 2:26.28.
Emma Phillips highlighted the night by breaking her own school record in the Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly. Her time of 1:01.02 was two hundredths of a second faster than her previous record and 10 seconds faster than any competitor. The men also took the blue ribbon for the 100 Yard Butterfly, as Eddie Kirby turned in a time of 1:01.05. Hurd also earned some more points for The Pride, grabbing third in a time of 1:09.79.
White asserted her dominance with another individual victory, taking the 100 Yard Freestyle in 1:00.74. Horne claimed the next victory for the women, this time in the 100 Yard Backstroke. Her time of 1:06.05 beat all other competitors by eight seconds and pushed The Pride farther in front of both Hollins and Guilford. Phillips then took second place in the 500 Yard Freestyle with a time of 5:50.29
The Pride’s only competition in the Women’s 100 Yard Breaststroke was each other as Emma Phillips and Lauren Fisher finished in the first and second spots. Phillips finished with a time of 1:10.51, while Fisher swam in a time of 1:20.80.
After struggling in a couple of events, the men got back on track with a win in the 100 Yard Breaststroke. Kirby gathered his second individual victory in a time of 1:12.07. Greensboro completed the clean sweep of the event with Ben Nihart taking second in 1:13.19 and Robert Smith finishing third in 1:13.57
The evening culminated with a special relay held for Pride Packs the Place. Teams assembled from within Greensboro’s baseball, football, lacrosse, and soccer teams competed for a championship of their own. Lacrosse took home the crown in a 100 Yard Relay. The women’s athletic teams competed in a similar event following the first intermission. Softball, soccer, and lacrosse competed, with lacrosse claiming a comfortable victory.
The men will conclude their season on February 4th as the travel to Christianburg for the Virginia Tech Invitational. The women will be back in action immediately, as they travel to Sweet Briar tomorrow afternoon. They will conclude their season with the ODAC championships starting February 11th.
