Meet of the Week Recap: No. 22 North Carolina Men Cruise By Maryland, 204-90

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, January 27. IN the final dual meet of North Carolina head coach Frank Comfort's 39-year head coaching career, the No. 22 North Carolina men gave Comfort a win over Maryland, 204-90. Paired with the women's 205-83 triumph during SwimmingWorldMagazine.com's Meet of the Week, Comfort pushed his overall dual-meet record to 578-173-2 after 30 years at North Carolina and nine at Johns Hopkins. Comfort closed out his dual-meet career as the winningest coach in college history.

Overall, North Carolina won 13 out of 16 events, while Maryland won both relays. A quartet of swimmers pulled off doubles for the Tar Heels as Hank Browning, Aaron Burns, Keith Laabs and Jason McLaughlin each won a pair of event titles.

Browning won the 1000 free (9:24.13) and the 500 free (4:33.56), while Burns touched first in the 100 breast (57.98) and the 200 breast (2:08.67). Laabs won the 100 back (51.31) and 200 back (1:51.96), while McLaughlin placed first in the 200 fly (1:52.13) and the 400 IM (4:04.13).

200 medley relay
Maryland struck out to an early 11-6 lead when Dong Kim, Eric Cullen, Aleksandar Damjanic and Danny Gray posted a first-place time of 1:32.49, while North Carolina's Keith Laabs, Aaron Burns, Jared Kleber and Rob Swendiman placed second in 1:33.36.

1000 freestyle
UNC responded in the distance free with a 19-14 lead. Hank Browning won the race in 9:24.13, while teammate Brandon Suddreth finished second in 9:47.10. Maryland's Ken Golaszewski placed third in 9:50.83.

200 freestyle
North Carolina took a commanding 35-17 lead with a 1-2-3 in the 200 free. Philip Owen touched first in 1:41.62, while Chip Peterson took second in 1:41.85. Adam Schauer rounded out the top three in 1:45.80, while Maryland's Chris Rouchard took fourth in 1:46.19.

100 backstroke
UNC stretched its lead to 51-20 with another top-three sweep. Keith Laabs won the event in 51.31, while Zach Schwartz (51.50) and Wade Baccich (52.25) rounded out the top three with second and third-place finishes, respectively. Aleksandar Damjanic provided Maryland's best effort with a fifth-place 53.33.

100 breaststroke
The Tar Heels pushed their lead to 64-26 with a 1-3 effort in the 100 breast. Aaron Burns hit the wall first in 57.98, while teammate Brad Mitchell placed third in 58.62. Maryland's Eric Cullen split the difference with a second-place 58.12.

200 butterfly
UNC moved to a 79-30 advantage with a top-two sweep as Jason McLaughlin touched in 1:52.13 and Jared Kleber turned in a second-place 1:54.61. Maryland's Eric Thomasson rounded out the top three in 1:55.53.

50 freestyle
Maryland took a heavy chunk out of the lead with a 1-2-3 to close to within 82-46. Danny Gray won the race in 20.60, while Dong Kim (20.91) and Ryan Greene (21.74) snared second and third place, respectively. UNC's top finish came with Stewart Norman taking fourth in 22.15.

100 freestyle
With a win in the 100 free, North Carolina inched out to a 94-53 lead. Zach Swartz claimed the title for UNC in 46.62, while Maryland's John Closs (48.14) and Eric Thomasson (48.93) closed out the top three in second and third, respectively.

200 backstroke
Keith Laabs pocketed his second individual crown en route to helping UNC take a 108-57 advantage. Laabs cruised to a first-place time of 1:51.96, while Maryland's Dong Kim took second in 1:53.66. Wade Baccich of UNC grabbed third in 1:53.67.

200 breaststroke
The Tar Heels kept up the steam with a top-three sweep to take a 124-59 lead. Aaron Burns captured his second individual win with a time of 2:08.67, while teammates Brad Mitchell (2:13.25) and Spencer Biedrzycki (2:13.77) took second and third, respectively. Maryland's best time came from Tony Miller's fourth-place 2:17.28.

500 freestyle
UNC would not let up with another 1-2-3 en route to a 140-61 advantage. Hank Browning picked up his second individual triumph with a 4:33.56. Philip Owen (4:35.04) and Chip Peterson (4:35.59) completed the sweep, while Ken Golaszewski offered Maryland's top time with a fourth-place 4:47.56.

100 butterfly
North Carolina extended its lead to 152-68 with a 1-3 performance in the 100 fly. Jared Kleber touched first in 50.45, while teammate Wade Baccich finished third in 52.14. Eric Thomasson split the difference in 52.05 for Maryland.

One-meter diving
UNC took a 167-72 advantage after the diving break when Jon Fox (333.30) and Ryan Funderburk (299.63) swept the top two spots. Derek Hock grabbed third for Maryland with a 278.33 tally.

400 IM
The Tar Heels increased their lead to 182-76 after the 400 IM. Jason McLaughlin won his second race of the meet with a time of 4:04.13, while Chip Peterson finished second in 4:05.02. Tim Shepard rounded out the top three for Maryland in 4:13.16.

200 freestyle relay
Maryland salvaged some pride with a win in the 200 free relay when Dong Kim, Danny Gray, John Closs and Ryan Greene touched first in 1:23.42. UNC's squad of Stewart Norman, Keith Laabs, Aaron Burns and Adam Schauer took second in 1:24.99 as Maryland cut the gap to 188-87.

Three-meter diving
North Carolina closed out the meet with a 204-90 conquest with a dominant diving effort. Ryan Funderburk won the three-meter with 399.38 points, while David Solarz took second with 334.50 points. Joseph Kenley rounded out the top three for UNC with 317.55 points. Derek Hock placed fifth with 277.43 points for Maryland's best placement.

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