CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina swimming and diving teams are gearing up for crucial competitions this week, with the swimmers hosting the UNC Invitational and the divers competing at the Virginia Tech Diving Invite. The UNC Invitational runs from Wednesday, February 4th through Friday, February 6th, while the VT Diving Invite takes place from Friday, February 6th to Sunday, February 8th. These events serve as the final preparation before the ACC Championships, scheduled to begin on February 15th in Atlanta.
Swimmers Host Invitational at Koury Natatorium
The UNC swimming team will be in action at the Koury Natatorium, beginning each day at 5:00 p.m. The schedule for the UNC Invitational includes a diverse range of events. Wednesday’s events will feature the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and conclude with the 800 free relay. Thursday will see competition in the 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 50 freestyle, 500 freestyle, and 400 medley relay. The invitational concludes on Friday with the 1650 freestyle, 200 IM, 100 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 200 backstroke, and 400 freestyle relay.
Divers Aim to Continue Success at Virginia Tech
Meanwhile, the Tar Heel divers will be competing at the Virginia Tech Diving Invite in Christiansburg, Virginia. Preliminaries are set to begin at 10:00 a.m. Each day, with finals at 6:00 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, and 4:00 p.m. On Sunday. The divers have already demonstrated strong performances this season, highlighted by a dominant showing at the Virginia Tech Diving Invite in 2025.
2025 Virginia Tech Diving Invite Recap
Last year’s Virginia Tech Diving Invite saw the UNC diving team achieve significant success, taking five of the six podium spots in the men’s 3-meter and women’s 1-meter springboard events. Freshman Lanie Gutch emerged as a standout performer, winning the women’s 1-meter springboard with a score of 344.80 and finishing as the runner-up in other events. Sophomore Ellie Joyce also had a strong showing, achieving a personal best of 339.65 in the 1-meter springboard, which moved her into third all-time on UNC’s Top 10 list.
On the men’s side, sophomore Rodolfo Vázquez Montaño, freshman Chris Booler, and sophomore Conrad Eck swept the podium in the 3-meter springboard final. Vázquez Montaño led the way with a score of 375.05, followed by Booler at 357.50 and Eck with a personal best of 357.20. Vázquez Montaño and Booler also qualified in the top two spots for the 3-meter springboard, with Eck qualifying seventh.
The final day of the 2025 Virginia Tech Invite saw graduate Aranza Vázquez Montaño win the women’s 10-meter platform with a score of 310.25, while Gutch finished as the runner-up with a personal best of 288.60, ranking third all-time at UNC. Joyce also achieved a personal best of 247.20 in the 10-meter platform, moving into tenth all-time. Senior Lara Phipps and freshman Sofia Knight also posted personal bests during the competition.
Sophomore Conrad Eck placed fourth in the men’s 10-meter platform with a personal best of 325.00, ranking seventh all-time at UNC. Rodolfo Vázquez Montaño finished seventh in the same event.
Personal Bests Highlight Recent Performances
Throughout the 2025 Virginia Tech Diving Invite, numerous Tar Heel divers achieved personal bests, demonstrating the team’s progress and potential. These included personal bests from Sofia Knight, Lara Phipps, Ellie Joyce, and Conrad Eck, contributing to a strong overall performance for the UNC diving program. The team’s success at the 2025 invite included a total of eight personal bests on the final day alone.
Looking Ahead to the ACC Championships
Both the UNC swimming and diving teams will be looking to build on their recent performances as they prepare for the ACC Championships. The championships, taking place February 18-22 in Greensboro, represent a key opportunity for the Tar Heels to compete against the top teams in the conference and showcase their talent on a larger stage. Live results for the UNC Invitational will be available via the Meet Mobile app, while fans can follow the diving action on DiveMeets.com.
Fans can stay up-to-date with UNC Swimming & Diving by visiting GoHeels.com/Swimming-and-Diving and following the team on X (@uncswimdive), Instagram (@uncswimdive), and Facebook (Facebook.com/UNCswimdive).
