The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER W H E R E AR E T H E Y N O W ? BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State men's and women's swimming head coach Braden Holloway is landing some of the best na- tional and international prep swimmers in recruit- ing. Beth Harrell knows that process well. She was considered one of the top five high school swimmers in the country when the Wolfpack recruited her out of Alexandria (Va.) Fort Hunt High in 1977. Harrell was an Olympic Trials finalist in 1976 and was ranked in the top eight in the world from 1976-79, a period which overlapped her NCSU career. Harrell remembers falling in love with NC State during her recruiting visit, and the 60-year-old is still completely smitten with her alma mater. "I didn't want to go on a plane and fly across the United States," Harrell said. "I got recruited by a lot of schools. Coach [Don] Easterling had the gift of gab. He was a great recruiter." Harrell helped NC State notch 11th- and 12th-place national finishes in 1978 and 1979, plus a pair of ACC titles (1979 and 1980), while posting a 34-10 dual meet record during her four years in Raleigh. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS BETH HARRELL