The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER C State head coach Braden Holloway never had to cross the bridge with star junior breaststroke swimmer Sophie Hansson over whether or not she'd be able to compete for the Wolfpack this year, and the end result was historic. Making history is why Hansson is The Wolfpacker's 2020-21 Female Athlete of the Year. Hansson, a native of Helsingborg, Sweden, went home when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, and remained there through Christmas, training alone. Hollo- way, a father of four children, felt that it was important for Hansson to be near her family. Holloway also had a great connection and line of communication with her coach in Sweden to monitor her training from afar. However, there were still some anxious moments while awaiting word if the travel ban from the European countries was going to be lifted. "I knew once she got back here, we were going to be fine," Holloway noted. "It did get nerve-wracking for a while, where I didn't know if she was going to get back." When Hansson did return to Raleigh, the expectations were high, but that was noth- ing new. Dating back to her recruiting days, Holloway always envisioned Hansson being a swimmer that would take the women's program to another level. "We were hoping to get more women that were really high caliber, that could make a difference right out of the gate," Holloway said. "For us, she did that. She was a really good swimmer coming out of high school, but not what she is now. "She filled a need for speed at breaststroke and relays for us. We thought that we could work with her pretty well, and since she's been here she's just blossomed so much." As a freshman in 2019, she immediately made an impact by finishing third at the NCAA Championships in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. In 2020, Holloway was convinced that Hansson was destined for national titles. "There was no one clocking better than she was," he noted. COVID-19 however canceled the NCAA Championships just after Hansson had won ACC titles in both races for the second straight year. Then this March, Hansson was able to get back in time to compete against a deeper, more talented field of breaststroke swimmers. "I knew going into the meet it was one of the best breaststroke fields in the history of college swimming," Holloway said. "I think they said it was the deepest field. I knew it was going to be tough, but the one thing I knew about her is that she just hates to lose. "In practice you see it every day. In just normal meets you see it. She just hates to lose. She is just really darn good at getting her hand into the wall." When Hansson dove into the pool for the 100 breaststroke NCAA finals, Holloway was hoping that he'd witness the first wom- en's swimmer to win an individual national title at NC State. Going into her last lap, Hol- loway went from hoping to feeling confident. "I was watching her stroke, and I felt good that she was going to hit the finish on a per- fect end of her stroke, and it helps that she has some good length — she's pretty tall," Holloway noted of the nearly 6-4 Hansson. In order for Hansson to see the results, she had to turn all the way around, and in the process her eyes would scan the NC State section of swimmers and coaches. A jubilant Holloway was her first sign that she had won the national title. "I was elated for her to see her hard work for a long time pay off, and I was more excited for her representing herself, her team and all of our alumni," Holloway said. "When I first got here 10 years ago, I started talking about the vision of winning a national championship and getting that women's program on the map. People from 2010, 2011 and 2012 heard me talk about that, but they didn't see any of it. "Sophie's race lifted an entire swimming group to tears. It was a really big moment for the history of our program." Hansson was far from done. The next N FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR SOPHIE HANSSON HISTORY MAKER NC State Swimmer Sophie Hansson Won The First Individual National Titles For The Women's Program Hansson's four national titles — in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, plus the 200 and 400 medley relays — are the most ever by an NC State swimmer in one NCAA meet. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS