DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 20 Duke women's swimming and diving team started the New Year off with a bang and earned a 180.5-119.5 victory over Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon inside the Taishoff Aquatic Center.
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The Blue Devil women combined for 11 of Duke's 13 first-place finishes on the day.
Keira Lu,
Audrey Portello and
Tatum Wall paced the efforts with two individual event wins apiece.
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On the men's side,
Ryan Griffith and
Jack Smith led the way for the Blue Devils, but it was Georgia Tech who defeated Duke, 186-112.
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SCORES:
- Men: Georgia Tech 186, Duke 112
- Women: Duke 180.5, Georgia Tech 119.5
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TOP PERFORMANCES
- Tatum Wall delivered a standout performance in the 100 freestyle, touching the wall in 47.94 to claim the win. Wall's mark set a Taishoff Aquatic Center pool record and was nearly three seconds quicker than the runner-up. The senior also took first in the 50 free via a time of 21.94.
- Senior Audrey Portello was the next Blue Devil woman to secure two victories during dual meet action. Portello's first-place finishes came in the women's 500 free and 200Â IM races, coming in at 4:52.67 and 2:02.04, respectively.
- Keira Lu's first-place outings in the women's 3-meter (362.55) and 1-meter (313.55) dives earned the sophomore another event sweep – her fourth of the season.
- The women's 200 medley relay got things going for the Blue Devils, with the quartet of seniors Madeline Meredith and Kaelyn Gridley, freshman Heather White and Wall clocking 1:37.12 to capture the win – nearly three seconds faster than the runners-up.
- Freshman Neala Klein and Gridley added two more podium finishes for the Blue Devils to push the win total to nine on the afternoon. Klein powered to a finish 10:04.31 in the 1000 free, while Gridley finished her 100 breast in 59.99.
- Rookie Ryan Griffith and junior Jack Smith notched the Duke victories on the men's side. Griffith powered to a 1:46.83 finish in the 200 back and Smith finished his 100 breast in 54.65 to cement himself atop the field.
- Duke reached a baker's dozen with wins in the 200 butterfly and 400 free relay.
- Martina Peroni's time of 1:56.75 propelled the senior to victory in the 200 fly, while the 400 free relay saw the foursome of Wall, Clare Logan, Emily Gantriis and White surge to victory with a 3:18.96 finish.
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UP NEXT:
The Blue Devils hit the road for the first of two straight dual meets, starting with a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a tilt against the Volunteers. The two-day meet will take place Jan. 30-31 at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
To stay up to date with Duke swimming and diving, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeSwimDive".
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#GoDuke
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