The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497827
MAY/JUNE 2023 ■ 27 The NC State women's swimming and diving team joined its counterpart on the men's side with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championship meet, held March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn. And like the men, the women came oh so close to getting on the podium with a team trophy via a top-four finish. In a tight race for fourth, NC State finished just 25 points behind ACC rival Louisville. The difference was a disquali- fication for the Wolfpack in the 200-yard freestyle relay on the second night of the meet. The Pack's time of 1:26.54 in the race would have been good enough to fin- ish fifth and would have added 28 points to the team's total. Without that DQ , which meant that the Wolfpack added no points from the race, NC State would have registered a second podium finish in the past three NCAA meets. The Pack was second over- all in 2021, and last season also came in fifth. ACC rival Virginia won a third consec- utive national title, giving the conference three of the top five teams. Senior Katharine Berkoff had another outstanding meet for NC State. While she did not three-peat as national champion in the 100 backstroke, she finished second in that race and was fifth in both the 50 and 100 free. Sophomore Grace Sheble swam an impressive fifth in the 400 IM, and se- nior Heather MacCausland had a similar placing in the 100 breaststroke. Fresh- man Kennedy Noble was fifth in the 200 backstroke, and her teammate, fifth-year senior Emma Muzzy, joined her in the A- finals and came in eighth overall. Fifth-year senior Kylee Alons finished seventh in the 100 butterfly. In the relays, the foursome of Berkoff, MacCausland, Alons and junior Abby Arens swam second in the 400 medley behind national champion Virginia, which nearly set an American record and did break the pool mark in the race. The Pack used that same relay group- ing for a second-place finish in the 200 IM behind the Cavs, who set an American record in that race. The 400 free relay squad of Alons, Arens, Berkoff and junior Abbey Webb came in fourth place for the Wolfpack. Expectations of competing for a podium finish will likely remain for the women. NC State is bringing in the No. 11 pros- pect in the country in the 2023 class, ac- cording to SwimSwam.com, in freestyle and butterfly sprinter Miriam Sheehan, who lives in Dubuque, Iowa. She repre- sented Puerto Rico at the Olympics in To- kyo in 2021 and holds the Puerto Rican national records in seven different long course swims, plus the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly on the short course (which is where colleges compete). Hungarian distance swimmer Bettina Fabian is also expected to join the Wolf- pack. She won the 10K open water races at the Junior World Championships in the summer of 2022 and had a successful meet at the European Championships as well, finishing fourth in the 400 free, 10th in the 1,500 and 11th in the 800. In addition, several seniors, notably Berkoff and MacCausland, could swim again for NC State with an extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the height of the pandemic. Berkoff indicated in an interview with MontanaSports.com that she will use that option. "It's been amazing. I love this team so much," she said. "I really can't imagine swimming anywhere else. I love all of the coaches, I love all of my teammates. It's really a cool culture, it's a very positive and high-energy environment, and I really appreciate that the coaches do hold us to such a high standard." — Matt Carter Wolfpack Women Finish Fifth At NCAA Championships MAY/JUNE 2023 ■ 27 Senior Katharine Berkoff placed second in the 100-yard backstroke at nationals after winning the title in 2021 and 2022. She indicated recently that she will likely use her bonus year of eligibility and return to the Wolfpack next season. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS