The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543694
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY DAVID ALLEN hat started as a quest to make new friends has turned into some- thing much bigger for NC State fresh- man swimmer Max Carlsen. When Carlsen first stepped onto a pool deck at 6 years old, it wasn't with dreams of records or ribbons. It was because his older brother, Owen, was already there, and he seemed to be having a good time. Carlsen followed his brother's lead and joined the Summerlin Seals swim team. It's now been more than a decade since Carlsen first took up the sport, but his motivation hasn't changed. "I started swimming because I just wanted to hang out with my friends and to have fun," he said. "That's the reason I'm here now. That's still why I do it. "And also just to try and go as fast as I can." In his debut season with the Wolf- pack, the 6-foot-3 standout has indeed gone as fast as he can. He's only a few months into his college career, but he's already etched his name into the ACC and NC State record books. Carlsen shined when the Pack hosted Virginia on Jan. 23, post- ing record-breaking times in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle events. His 500 time of 4:11.89 was third-fastest in program his- tory and a pool record, and his 1,000 time of 8:41.12 shattered the ACC mark. Those performances earned him ACC Swimmer of the Week honors, a notable milestone in a freshman campaign that has quickly accelerated. And yet, impressive as they've been, Carlsen doesn't fixate on the num- bers. "Everybody around me is most excited about the ACC record," he said. "It's cool. I do care about how good I do, but the number I see is not what matters to me. I just want to make everybody else happy." Family Matters Carlsen began laying the foun- dation for his recent success long W MAKING A MAKING A SPLASH SPLASH Max Carlsen Puts Together A Record-Setting Freshman Season With The Wolfpack