The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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122 ■ THE WOLFPACKER sophomore, Rachel Muller, will get her chance to make things happen this season in her various freestyle distance events. "We've been pretty good on the sprint side of things and the backstroke, but she is already different on the distance side," Holloway said. "She has come back hungry and ready to go, and we are looking for big things from her." Freshman newcomers Lauren Rhodes and Krista Duffield are expected to make imme- diate impacts this year. Rhodes was touted coming out of Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic, but had a bit of a senior-year slump, and Duffield was a "diamond in the rough" out of Tucson (Ariz.) Catalina Foothills High. Yuri Nakano of Numazu, Japan, is a junior college transfer from Indian River C.C. in Fort Pierce, Fla. She won the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 freestyle, and was part of four winning freestyle relay teams at the 2014 National Championship, which Indian River C.C. won. The former Penn State commitment swam on the prep level at Hershey (Pa.) High. "She already has racing experience," Holloway said. "Lauren and Krista should have some big gains this year because they haven't already been in college like Yuri has." Redshirt junior Rachel Mumma used her year on the sidelines last year to concen- trate on her academics and become a more well-rounded diver. She had qualified for the NCAA Zone B diving championships her freshman year in the one-meter and three-meter diving boards. "It will be big for our women to have Rachel back," Holloway said. "We had a freshman last year on the board, and that was Gabby [McDermott], who needs to continue to improve and learn some dives. Having Rachel back is like having a real good signee again." ■ Noting The Pack • Seniors Lauren Poli and Nicole Haynes were named co-captains of the women's team last May. "We go through a process where a team voices their nominations and backing and support people that are set to lead our program," head coach Braden Holloway said. "The coaches evaluate those nominations and pick them from there. If they want to be captains, they have to present a letter to me about how it is a position they consider to be in." The women's program has progressed so well that it had some good choices in leaders with Poli and Haynes. "Those girls have been through the program with some lows and now the highs, and getting us to where we are," Holloway said. "They are big advo - cates of the journey." • NC State has landed five verbal commitments, including hometown product Elizabeth Underkoffler of Millbrook High. Other commitments include Allie Fogleman of Moorpark (Calif.) High, Morgan Carr of Charleston (W.Va.) Catholic High, Courtney Caldwell of Lawrence (Kan.) Free State High and Anna Jahns of Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood High. CollegeSwimming.com ranks Caldwell No. 40 overall in the class of 2015, Jahns No. 121, Carr No. 219, Fogleman No. 339 and Underkoffler No. 1,013 in the class of 2015. • The NCAA Championships on the women's side will take place March 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C., which is the perfect fuel to the fire. "Hopefully, we should have a big crowd there and get some girls there to represent," Holloway said. "We can make sure everyone knows how close it is and get a good presence there and have a nice cheering section." Three Swimmers To Watch Junior Riki Bonnema NC State head coach Braden Holloway simply said Bonnema never has a bad day of workouts, and that is what helps set her apart. She comes in, gets the job done and then heads home, day after day. Her efforts helped fuel her to be part of the three NCAA Championships relay teams — 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay. She earned All-ACC honors in the 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay, winning the league title in the latter. Sophomore Natalie Labonge The Greensboro, N.C., native earned honorable mention All-America accolades for her ef- forts on the ACC champion 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. She set the school record in the 100 freestyle after posting a leadoff split of 48.93 seconds in the 400 freestyle relay at the ACC Championships. She also had the fourth-best time in school history in the 50 freestyle (22.44) at the ACC Championships, which helped her finish seventh. Senior Lauren Poli The co-captain from Seattle earned first-team All-America recognition for her part on the 200 medley relay. The 200 freestyle relay team won the ACC championship and earned honorable mention All-America distinction. She finished 13th in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.59) at the ACC Championships, which was the second-fastest mark in school history. She also swam 49.85 in the 100 freestyle, which ranks eighth on NC State's all-time list. ■ By The Numbers 3 Women's swimmers who earned All-ACC honors in at least three different years at NC State — Shelley Cavaliere (1997, 1999-2000), Agnes Gerlach (1991-94) and Marica McKeel (1997-99). Junior Riki Bonnema and senior Hannah Freyman are hoping to join the list. 13 States or countries accounted for on the wom- en's swimming roster. The Wolfpack swimmers represent nine different states, plus Germany, Japan, Finland and Canada. 15 School records that were set last year out of 18 events. Only the 400 individual medley, 1,650 freestyle and 200 freestyle marks didn't get broken. ■ Key Dates Vs. Minnesota, Jan. 23-24 — The Gophers are ranked No. 6 in the country per the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), and they come to Raleigh just before the Pack's dual meet with North Carolina and the ACC Championships. Vs. North Carolina, Jan. 31 — Archrival North Carolina comes to NC State in the last regular-season dual meet. CSCAA ranks the Tar Heels No. 5 in the country going into late October. ACC Championships, Feb. 18-21 — In addition to No. 5 North Carolina, ACC members Louisville (No. 9), NC State (No. 19), and Florida State (No. 25) were ranked as of late October. In addition to being part of the Pack's first-team All-America 200 freestyle relay a year ago, senior co-captain Lauren Poli swam the second-fastest mark in school history in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.59) at the ACC Championships. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS