You could assume that after being 36 years removed from college, the memories are long forgotten. But if that’s the case, you’re wrong.

‘The blood runs orange,’ North Carolina swimming and diving head coach Frank Comfort said.

After 27 years at the helm in Chapel Hill, N.C., and almost another decade since he was an undergrad at SU, Comfort still has a soft spot for Syracuse.

Today, Friday and Saturday, Comfort and his Tar Heels will host the Nike Cup challenge. The three-day event will feature 10 men’s and 10 women’s teams from around the country. The national competition will offer a test to the Syracuse swimming and diving teams as the first half of their season comes to a close.

For Comfort, the three-day affair offers strong competition and lots of swimming, but it’s the annual reunion with Syracuse head coach Lou Walker that he enjoys most.

‘It’s absolutely special,’ Comfort said. ‘I enjoy getting the chance to see Ellie (Walker’s wife) and Lou. He is an outstanding coach.’

Walker, who first met Comfort in 1975 when Comfort coached at Johns Hopkins, will enter this weekend’s competition with virtually the entire roster of both men (2-1) and women (1-2).

‘I want to have kids post Big East qualifying times,’ Walker said, ‘and we are looking for some personal bests.’

Comfort believes that this is the best field of teams Carolina has hosted in some time. Walker agrees.

‘This is a great test for us,’ Walker said. ‘This is the culmination to the first half of our season, and this is a meet with some great competition.’

Ordinarily in Big East meets, swimmers can participate in three individual competitions and four relay events. The Nike Cup being spread out over three days allows competitors to race in up to four individual races and five relay events.

While Comfort is prepared for a hectic three days, he finds comfort in knowing where he will be on Friday night.

‘Every Friday, Lou and I get dinner,’ he said. ‘I’d say it is somewhat of a tradition – Peppers Pizza on Franklin Street.’

Elyse McDonough will lead the way for the Orangewomen. A year ago, McDonough had a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and placed ninth in the butterfly. The senior captain will look to build on last year’s performance.

‘I look forward to the Nike Cup,’ McDonough said. ‘We train very hard for it, and the level of competition is always strong.’

Leading the way for the Orangemen will be senior Spencer Raymond. The Idstein, Germany, native was SU’s top finisher last November at the Nike Cup, earning a third-place finish in the finals of the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 55.97 seconds.

Freshman Luk Boral will look to continue his success this weekend. Boral has already set several Webster Pool records. He’s yet to lose in the 200-yard backstroke this season.

The differences between these programs appear when the coaches talk about what they want to get out of the meet.

‘Everything we do is team-oriented,’ said Comfort, whose roster includes national champion Jessi Perruquet.

Walker, though, wants to focus on individual times.

‘We’re not deep enough to compete from a team standpoint,’ Walker said, ‘so I want individuals to provide Big East-qualifying times.’

The Tar Heels are one of the nation’s top teams, and Comfort couldn’t be happier with where he is. With that said, he keeps a watchful eye on his alma mater and still keeps close ties to a program and coach he is very fond of.

‘Lou is a fine, fine person,’ he said. ‘It gives me chills just talking about everything he has done for this sport.’

Published on November 19, 2003 at 12:00 pm