The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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Noting The Pack Last year, sophomore Riki Bonnema earned All-ACC honors in the 200 freestyle and was part of three relays (200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle) that set school records. Photo courtesy NC State Media relations way said. "I think the women are showing they want to take that step. A lot of it is not so much what they are doing in the pool or in the weight room, but it's more how they are molding their minds to be and expect the highest level from themselves every day." Grogg finished third in the 100 backstroke (53.42) at the ACC Championships to earn All-ACC honors last season. "Zina came here and really excelled in one event, but now, she has blossomed in multiple events," Holloway said. "She has really been into her strength and conditioning and making her body a fine-tuned machine of performance." Grogg, senior Kelsey Liu and junior Kayla Grim were named tri-captains this season. "They are all very different," Holloway Newcomer To Watch Lotta Nevalainen The native of Imatra, Finland, was ranked as the No. 29 overall swimmer in the class of 2013, which made her the Wolfpack's highest-rated recruit. Nevalainen finished as a nine-time Finnish National Champion, won one silver medal and two bronze medals in relays at the European Championships and won two Nordic Championship titles. She finished third in the 200 freestyle and was part of a second-place 400 medley relay team during her first meet at the North Carolina Invitational Oct. 4-5 in Greensboro, N.C. ■ By The Numbers 2 14 31 ACC titles won by the women's swim team (1979 and 1980). School records set in various events last year, including all five relays. Women's swimmers and divers at NC State who have earned All-America honors, with Hannah Hopkins (2012-13) and national champion diver Kristin Davies (2009) the most recent. said. "Kayla, when she came out of high school, she battled a shoulder injury. That has allowed her to really put her teammates in the forefront. She's working on her way back from the injury and it takes pressure off herself on the role of being captain. "Kelsy is someone who a lot of people go to and she has had a good career. She is more the quiet type but thinks of others an awful lot." Two-time All-American diver Hannah Hopkins has graduated and will be missed. She finished 13th in the platform and 26th in the three-meter last year. Mumma returns and she finished 25th in the onemeter and 36th in the three-meter at the NCAA Championships last year. Virginia is the defending champion in the ACC, with Virginia Tech and North Carolina having finished second and third, respectively, last year. NC State is hoping to challenge that grouping. "They have to be willing to fail and not be afraid of that," Holloway said. "I think we have a lot of talented student-athletes that can leave a mark." ■ • Head coach Braden Holloway is excited about his class of 2013 recruiting haul. The Wolfpack has 11 freshmen from six different states and two international swimmers (from Canada and Finland). "A lot of them came here because of each other coming here," Holloway said. "They look at it as a group effort and the foundation of the next phase. They have gotten pretty close right out of the gate." The women have dubbed themselves the "Women Of Mass Destruction," and complement each other well in doing different events. "They all came to do something with the program and take us to the next level," Holloway said. • NC State will be sending some individual swimmers to participate in the European SC Championships Dec. 12-15 in Herning, Denmark. The Wolfpack will also travel to University of Minnesota for a meet Jan. 24-25.The Gophers entered late October ranked No. 5 in the country, and Minneapolis is also the site of the NCAA Championships March 20-22. • The Wolfpack is off to a good start in the class of 2014 after earning a verbal commit from Lauren Rhodes of Charlotte Catholic, whom CollegeSwimming.com ranks No. 23 in the country. NC State also has landed No. 189-ranked Krista Duffield of Tucson (Ariz.) Catalina Foothills High. ■ Key Meets To Watch At Winter National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 5-7 — NC State's swimmers can say they went against perhaps the top female swimmer in the world. NCAA runner-up California is slated to attend the meet, and will feature freshman Missy Franklin, who won four gold medals and one bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London. At Georgia, Jan. 4 — NC State head coach Braden Holloway isn't interested in having a soft non-conference schedule, and he proves that by having a dual meet against defending national champion Georgia. The Bulldogs defeated California by 83 points en route to the title a year ago. CollegeSwimming.com ranked UGa No. 2 in the country behind Florida as of mid-October. ACC Championships, Feb. 19-22 — The ACC features four women's swimming teams ranked in the top 20 by CollegeSwimming.com — No. 4 North Carolina, No. 9 Florida State, No. 16 NC State and No. 19 Notre Dame.Virginia is the defending champion. Key Swimmers To Watch Sophomore Riki Bonnema Last year, Bonnema earned All-ACC honors in the 200 freestyle and was a member of three different relays that set school records — 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay.The Orlando, Fla., native swam a team-best 22.43 in the 50 freestyle and had the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 100 freestyle (50.15). Junior Hannah Freyman Freyman helped set school records last season in four different relays — 200 medley, 400 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle — with the 200 free delivering All-ACC honors. The Peoria, Ill., product owns the second-fastest time in school history in both the 100 backstroke (53.48 seconds) and 100 freestyle (49.74). Freyman also earned a spot on the All-ACC academic team. Senior Zina Grogg The Moon Township, Pa., native earned All-ACC honors in the 100 backstroke with a schoolrecord time of 53.42 seconds last year. She also broke the school record in the 100 butterfly (53.50), and was part of the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay. Grogg also swam the fifth-fastest time in NCSU history in 50 freestyle (22.90). 114 ■ the wolfpacker 112,114.Women's Swimming Preview.indd 114 10/22/13 12:27 PM