Freshman Diver Is ACC’s Best

Posted on April 10, 2018

The UNC men’s swimming and diving team has a bona fide star right out of the box.

Greg Duncan of Oakton, Va., who just finished his first year at Carolina, has been named the ACC Male Diver of the Year, the first Tar Heel so honored in 60 years. Ned Meekins ’58 earned the honor in his senior year.

Duncan’s coach, Abel Sanchez, was recognized as ACC Male Diving Coach of the Year, the first time he has won the award. Sanchez had been the conference’s Women’s Diving Coach of the Year in 2016.

Duncan had a spectacular first year at Carolina. He won the ACC championships in one-meter and three-meter diving at the conference meet. In the process, he became the first Tar Heel to win the three-meter event since Eric Poitras ’04, the first to win the one-meter event since Joe Craft ’95 in 1994 and the first to win both events since Meekins.

Duncan was the first Tar Heel since Poitras in 2004 to win the most valuable men’s diver award at the ACC championships. Duncan went on to place second in both one-meter and three-meter diving at the 2018 NCAA zone diving championships.

At the NCAA championships in late March, Duncan earned honorable mention All-America honors in three-meter diving with an 11th-place finish.