The UNC swimming and diving teams will host “Swim Across America” at Koury Natatorium on the morning of October 8. The event aims to raise $50,000 for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only such facility in the state.

Registration for the event begins at 8:15 a.m., and the event itself starts at 9 a.m. All ages and skill levels are invited to participate in a charity swim, and others are encouraged to volunteer or donate.

Relay teams will swim for 60 minutes, with only one swimmer for each team in the water at any given time. The team who swims the most yards will earn the “reward spotlight.”

Former Olympian and UNC alumna Sue Walsh, two-time Paralympic gold medalist Hannah Aspden and UNC head coach Mark Gangloff (himself an Olympic gold medalist) will participate in the event, as well as current members of the swimming and diving team.

“There is something special that happens when swimmers of different ages and different abilities swim together with a common goal,” Gangloff said. “It’s not a race, it’s not a competition. It’s everybody coming together to support cancer research.

Senior diver Emily Grund, a cancer survivor, will be one of the featured speakers.

“I worked very closely with the Lineberger Adolescent and Young Adult program while I was undergoing chemo,” Grund said. “I talked with a few of their therapists while I was inpatient discussing ways to come to terms with my diagnosis and they helped me with ways to deal with the stress that comes along with my diagnosis. We want to ensure that future patients are afforded the same personal attention and care I received by raising money for Lineberger.”

The event will also feature the unveiling of a new video board at Koury Natatorium. The board will be dedicated in honor of former Olympian and UNC alumna Janis Hape Dowd, who passed away in March 2021 after battling cancer.

Swim Across America has been sponsoring events since 1987, and has raised more than $100 million for cancer research.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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