The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1013591
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK wolfpacker spotlight JUSTIN RESS Senior • Swimming At the Phillips 66 National Championships in Irvine, Calif., Justin Ress cemented himself as one of the top backstroke swimmers in the United States. He took the silver medal in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 24.31 seconds, coming in behind Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy and under the previous American record time of 24.33 seconds. A day later, Ress took the bronze in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 53.26 seconds — a personal best that trailed only Murphy and another Olympic gold medalist in Matt Grevers. Ress' performance earned him a spot on the United States team at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championship Aug. 9-14 in Tokyo. The event could propel Ress into next year's FINA World Championships. It will also serve as valuable preparation in helping him make the U.S. squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which will also be held in Tokyo. Ironically, Ress' best swimming this past year for NC State was not in the backstroke. He swam on the 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams that won the national title, was an ACC champion in the 200 freestyle and was All-American in the 100 freestyle, where he finished third at the NCAA Championships. — Matt Carter/Photo courtesy NC State Media Relations