Feb. 28, 2004

Complete Results

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - Senior Eric Poitras became the first Tar Heel in 42 years to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in three-meter diving as North Carolina finished third Saturday night in the 2004 ACC Men's Swimming and Diving Championship at the University of Virginia's Aquatic and Fitness Center. Poitras, from Regina, Saskatchewan, edged NC State's Vitor Assuncao, 538.95 to 536.20, to become the first UNC diver to win the event since Sandy Patterson in 1962.

Poitras became the first Tar Heel diver to win any event at the ACC meet in 10 years. Joe Craft won the one-meter diving title in 1994. Craft's victory was the first for Carolina in any diving event at the ACC meet since Patterson's 1962 title. Poitras was also named Saturday as the winner of the meet's Most Valuable Diver Award as he won the three-meter event and finished third on the one-meter board. Craft also won the award at the 1994 Championships.

Virginia easily won the team championship with 848.5 points while Florida State finished second with 537 points. The Tar Heels finished third with 507 points. Clemson was fourth with 436 points followed by Georgia Tech with 392, NC State with 334.5 points, Maryland with 283 points and Duke with 123 points.

Senior Yuri Suguiyama led a trio of Tar Heels who finished in the top nine of the 1650-yard freestyle. Suguiyama placed fifth with a time of 15:11.86 while junior Reid Owen was sixth with a career best time of 15:14.30 and sophomore Patrick Woodruff also swam a career best to finish ninth with a time of 15:37.54.

Freshman Ben Grafchik led all Tar Heels in the 200-yard backstroke as he was clocked in 1:49.24 in the finals after going a career best 1:48.46 in the preliminaries. Sophomore John Hartmann was 10th in 1:50.03 (career best 1:48.98 in the prelims) and senior Jimmy Owens was 19th at 1:52.17.

Sophomore Jon Albrecht tied for 12th in the 100-yard freestyle at 45.83 while senior Justin Donato was 14th at 45.87, senior Michael Pigassou was 21st at 46.31 and sophomore Jon Van Assen was 24th at 46.65 (career best 46.12 in prelims).

Sophomore Patrick Woodruff earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors with his third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke as he clocked a career best time of 2:01.39 in the event. Freshman Aaron Burns won the bonus consolation heat and finished 17th overall at 2:06.69 and senior Sinisa Haberle was 20th at 2:09.57.

Sophomore Josh Glasco earned All-ACC honors for the second straight year as he placed second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:46.14 after going 1:46.12 for a career best in the prelims. Sophomore Chad Ames was fourth with a career best 1:47.63. freshman Tristan Davidson was ninth with a career best 1:48.78, senior Casey Coble was 11th at 1:50.65 and junior Eric Mohr was 15th at 1:51.66.

Besides Poitras, other finishers from UNC in three-meter diving were sophomore Ryan Matuszak who was 17th with 378.45 points and freshman Jon Fox who was 18th with 377.65 points.

Carolina's 400-yard freestyle relay team finished fourth with a time of 3:00.94. The relay consisted of sophomore Chad Ames (career best 45.60), sophomore Jon Albrecht (45.23), senior Justin Donato (45.06) and senior Yuri Suguiyama (45.05).