The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/743343
NOVEMBER 2016 ■ 105 Junior distance freestyler Anton Ipsen and senior freestyle/butterfly swimmer Soren Dahl also are back at NC State af- ter competing in the Olympics. Ipsen has won back-to-back ACC titles and been a back-to-back All-American in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. Senior Adam Linker was also an All-American in those races in 2015. Dahl joined Held on the national title- winning 400 freestyle relay. He was also All-ACC in the 100 and 200 freestyle, and an All-American in the latter. The third returning member from the victorious relay is senior Andreas Schiel- lerup, who was also an All-American in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Other noteworthy returnees include ju- nior backstroke specialist Hennessy Stuart, who finished third in the 200 backstroke and seventh in the 100 backstroke at na- tionals. Senior Derek Hren, the defending ACC champ in the 100 breaststroke, also is back. Sophomore Justin Ress was an All-ACC performer in the 200 backstroke and the 2015 ACC Male Rookie of the Year. Ress was an U.S. Olympic Trials semifinalist in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. Stuart was a semifinalist in the 100 and finalist in the 200. The Pack has to replace some valuable swimmers, including Bilis and Christian Three Swimmers To Watch Junior Ryan Held The question is how fast can Held go? His time of 18.92 seconds in the 50 freestyle trails only the recently graduated Simonas Bilis' 18.77 seconds in school history. Held also has clocked 41.69 seconds in the 100 freestyle, second to Bilis' 41.18 seconds at NC State. With a little more speed, Held could establish himself as the greatest freestyle sprinter in the school's rich history of the event. Junior Anton Ipsen While Held is looking to certify himself in the school's annals, Ipsen has probably already done it with regards to distance freestyle races. He holds the school record in both the 500 and 1,650 freestyle, and Ipsen is the reigning two-time ACC champion in both races. Like Held, Ipsen competed in last summer's Olympic Games, swimming for his native Denmark. Junior Hennessey Stuart Stuart has the fastest 100 and 200 backstroke swims in school history, and he is a three-time All-American in those races, including back-to-back in the 200. Stuart was the ACC champion in the 200 as a freshman, and he reached the finals in that race at this past summer's U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing eighth. Noting The Pack • One of the feel-good stories of the summer was senior Matt O'Donnell, who overcame two brain operations to make the U.S. Olympic Trials. O'Donnell, who did not swim last year for the Wolfpack, needed a shunt when he was 6 months old after being diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. That shunt broke last summer, and after an op- eration to replace it, another ventricle in his brain began to leak and warranted a new shunt. O'Donnell successfully came back in time to get a qualifying mark in the 200-meter backstroke for the Olympic Trials. • According to CollegeSwimming.com and as of Oct. 18, NC State had seven verbal commit- ments ranked among the top 102 in the 2017 class. The next nearest total was Missouri with five, and among ACC schools Notre Dame was closest with three. ■ By The Numbers 26 ACC team championships won by NC State in program history. 16 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers on last year's team. 5 Number of gold medalists produced by the men's swimming program, including junior Ryan Held. Junior Anton Ipsen is a two-time ACC champion and NCAA All-American in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS