Moretti, 200 Medley Relay Earn All-America Honors

Friday, March 25

Atlanta, Ga.

All Day

Duke University

Day Three at Men's NCAA Championship

Moretti, 200 Medley Relay Earn All-America Honors

3/25/2016 9:13:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Photo Gallery Saturday Finals on ESPN3 Saturday Preliminaries Live Video Live Results Saturday Preliminaries Heat Sheet Friday Results

By: Duke Sports Information

ATLANTA – Duke's 200-yard medley relay team of junior Kaz Takabayashi, junior Peter Kropp, senior David Armstrong and junior James Peek became the first relay in program history to garner All-America honors Friday on a banner day at the 2016 Men's NCAA Championships.

Freshman diver Evan Moretti also garnered honorable mention All-America accolades on the 3-meter springboard as the Blue Devil men entered the team rankings in 33rd with seven points on the day.

“For us to score, I think it's just another step forward for the program,” said head coach Dan Colella. “It helps our student-athletes to really appreciate and understand that we're not just talking about a dream here. It can be a reality. We can compete at the highest level, so I think it's a great moment for the men's team.”

Moretti made a strong debut at the NCAA Championships as one of just two freshmen to advance to the 3-meter finals. All six of his preliminary round dives topped 50 points, including a forward 2 ½ somersault with two twists in the third round that netted an award of 71.40 from the judges. That dive moved him up seven spots and into qualifying territory. The Scarsdale, N.Y., native completed preliminaries with 377.55 points, ranking him 12th in the field and fifth on the program's all-time performance list.

In the consolation final, Moretti started off on a high note, earning at least 65 points on each of his first two dives. He rounded out his list with an award of 306.95 to take ninth in the flight and 16th overall. With the performance, Moretti joined a group of Blue Devil All-America divers that also includes four-time national champion Nick McCrory.

“Evan did really, really well in the prelims,” said head diving coach Nunzio Esposto. “He was relaxed and confident, and he ended up 12th, which was really exciting. In the consolation final, he didn't dive quite as well, but for him to be top 16, I'm very pleased with him and with his first year.”

“We're incredibly proud of Evan Moretti for an amazing year,” Colella said. “The amount of development and growth he's had is just astronomical. To do what he did at ACCs and then to come back and qualify for NCAAs, and then at his very first NCAAs to score is absolutely phenomenal.”

Duke made it five honorable mention All-Americas later in the evening, as Takabayashi, Kropp, Armstrong and Peek advanced to the 200 medley relay consolation final for the second consecutive season. After a disappointing disqualification at last year's meet, the Blue Devil quartet was solid Friday evening, placing sixth in the heat and 14th overall at 1:25.32.

That time marked the second fastest of the season behind a program record-setting mark of 1:25.00 by the same group at last month's ACC Championship.

“This meet is a grind, and it's really all about racing and trying to get back at night,” Colella said. “They stood up and raced extremely hard this morning and gave themselves another opportunity. We're really, really proud of the four of them. David in particular, as a senior, we're very excited for him to finish up his career here at Duke as an All-American.”

Kropp also represented the program as an individual Friday morning, competing in the 100 breaststroke preliminaries. He raced to the wall in 52.85 to place 21st in the field.

The 2016 NCAA Championships reach their conclusion Saturday in Atlanta. Peek will return to the pool for the 100 freestyle, followed by Kropp in the 200 breaststroke. Preliminaries begin at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m., with the evening finals streaming live on ESPN3.

Duke Finishers by Event:

100-Yard Breaststroke: Peter Kropp (21st), 52.85

200-Yard Medley Relay: Kaz Takabayashi, Peter Kropp, David Armstrong, James Peek (14th), 1:25.32

3-Meter Diving: Evan Moretti (16th), 306.95

#GoDuke