The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1113082
62 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER B ecause Andreas Vazaios was try- ing to transfer from a university in Greece to swim collegiately in the United States, his recruit- ing process was, to say the least, complicated. Vazaios proved persistent in making it work, and during his research he narrowed in on NC State as one of his top choices. Vazaios can still recall the first question he asked NC State head coach Braden Hol- loway and associate head coach Bobby Gun- toro during his recruiting visit. Vazaios was an accomplished swimmer in Greece. He qualified for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and his bread-and-butter race was the 200 individual medley. He was a gold medalist in that race at the 2016 European Champi- onships and finished 11th at the Olympics that year in Rio de Janeiro. Because the individual medley requires swimmers to use every stroke, Vazaios was used to a wide variety of events. Thus his question to the coaches was simple: How would they build his training? The duo explained that on Monday morn- ing they would work on power, which is necessary to be a successful short-course swimmer. Then in the afternoon they would practice for the 200 butterfly. "I was like, '200 butterfly? I never said that,'" Vazaios recalled. After three years at NC State, that event has made him a legend in Wolfpack swim- ming. On March 19 in Austin, Texas, Vazaios unleashed his trademark late kick to dominate the field by more than a second and win his second straight NCAA cham- pionship … in the 200 butterfly. Vazaios is the first swimmer at NC State to take home back-to-back individual national titles. A year ago, Vazaios became the third Wolfpacker to win a championship at the NCAA meet in the event, joining Dick Fadgen in 1956 and Steve Gregg in 1976. Vazaios admitted that living up to the ex- pectations of a defending champ was not easy, but nagging injuries that left him less than 100 percent at times during the spring semester proved more challenging. Going into the final day of the NCAA meet, which is when the 200 butterfly takes place, Vazaios was feeling some fatigue. He had finished second in the 200 individual medley for the second straight year, and he was also an All-American in the 100 backstroke. He was on the runner-up 800 freestyle relay and the 400 medley relay that finished fourth. All of this after not being able to train as much as he would have liked. "I was feeling tired," Vazaios said. "I was a little bit worried, but after the prelims time and how I raced, I felt more okay." Vazaios swam the prelims in 1:39.54, the only to go under 1:40. He knew if he swam that race again, he should at least finish in the top three. That calmed him as he stood on the starting block for the finals. "I didn't put a time in my head, I didn't put a place in my head," Vazaios explained. "I didn't put a how many points can I score [in my head]. The only thing I did was think, 'I'm here, I have a lane, I have a chance, I am representing my university, representing my coaching staff and everything we have done for the past year. This is the race, and this is my last race.'" At the halfway point, Vazaios was fifth out of eight swimmers, which for his style is about where he wanted to be. During a dual meet in his junior season, Vazaios and the coaches tried out a philosophy of coming home strong, and it seemed to be a natural fit. Vazaios has also practiced with negative splits, meaning he would swim the first half slower than the second half. It paid off when Vazaios rallied past the field to win his na- tional title in 2018. "After racing more and more and doing the same thing, it just started being more natural," he said, though he joked that ap- proach is also more stressful. During the butterfly, the only time a swimmer can check his progress against others is during the turns and underwater. When Vazaios made his final turn during the 2019 NCAA finals and was underwater, he guessed he was a stroke ahead of the field. From there his training kicked in. "It just comes automatically what I have to do," he said. When he touched the wall, he saw that he was alone. He looked at the board to see his time and confirmed — he was a two-time national champ. After graduating in the fall with a psy- chology degree, Vazaios hopes that next up is a trip to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics. He'll return to his roots by mainly training for the 200 individual medley, but the 200 butterfly and 200 freestyle will also be part of his preparations. And as he reflects on his legacy at NC State, the 200 butterfly will help define it. "I'm sure that I have given a lot of exam- ples of how to race the 200 fly," he said. ■ SWIMMING LEGEND Andreas Vazaios Wins The National Title In The 200 Butterfly For The Second Straight Year Vazaios became the first NC State swimmer to take home back-to-back individual national titles. PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS