The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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"Obviously, having Hannah Hopkins for her last year is great. She's a returning All- American and placed at the highest levels of the NCAAs. She leads the divers down there, and we want her to duplicate what she did last year, if not find a way to move up within that top eight." The coaching staff has noticed a change in the women's mentality from when they first took over last year, and that is one of several positive signs for the future. An- other promising aspect for down the line is that the group of nine newcomers includes four of the top 200 recruits in the nation, according to CollegeSwimming.com, and ■ Key Dates To Watch USA Diving Nationals, Dec. 15-22 — Head coach Braden Holloway noted that one of the Pack's biggest strengths is the divers, so senior All-American Hannah Hopkins, as well as her understudies, will get to prove themselves on the national stage at this meet, held in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida State and Georgia Tech, Jan. 19 — This the incoming freshmen were ranked as the No. 23 group in the country. "It helps the depth a lot," Holloway said. "There's a great variety in the freshmen coming in. The biggest thing we liked about them is they all came here to begin the new journey with us. They understand what we want and they chose to come build. I think there's a lot of hidden tal- Senior diver Hannah Hopkins finished seventh in the platform dive at the NCAA Champion- ships last year to earn All-America honors. Top-10 marks swam by Hannah Freyman as a true freshman last year, including four school- record relay teams and one individual standard. 7 9 23 are looking to continue moving up within the conference at the league's championship meet, held in Greensboro, N.C. is one of four home meets for NC State, and the only tri-meet held in Raleigh. It will be a good chance to see where they stand in the conference a month before the ACC Championships. ACC Championships, Feb. 20-23 — The women Key Performers To Watch self with how well she did last year. As a true freshman, she earned All-ACC laurels in the 100 freestyle and also set the school record in the event. The Peoria, Ill., native hit NCAA "B" standards in seven different events, and is focused on making improvements daily. Sophomore Hannah Freyman Freyman surprised even her- was the only Wolfpack woman who swam in the 2012 Olympic Trials, and she already has her name etched across the school record books. Henley is a vi- tal cog in the relay races and is looking to improve on last year's NCAA "B" cuts in five different events. Senior Marifrances Henley The Memphis, Tenn., native platform as a freshman, and also earned All-ACC distinctions on the three-meter dive that year. The Greensboro native has competed at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships every year, and finished seventh at the NCAA finals last year. Senior Hannah Hopkins The diver won the ACC Championship on the The incoming freshman class was ranked as the 23rd best in the nation by College- Swimming.com. By The Numbers ent on the women's side, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they do this year. "The women are now in that hungry phase. They are now in attack mode, and they are driven. We had an addition of some good depth in holes that we needed to fill. We have more girls that I think can contribute at the higher level, which bodes well for what we want to do." ■ Noting The Pack • In addition to senior Hannah Hopkins on the diving board, head coach Braden Holloway has been impressed by what Rachel Mumma, a sophomore, gives the team. She qualified for the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships last year and opened the year by being named the ACC Female Diver of the Week. • Two other upperclassmen that Holloway thinks could be in line for big seasons are senior Julianna Prim and junior Zina Grogg. Senior diver Hannah Hopkins finished seventh in the platform dive at the NCAA Championships last year to earn All-America honors. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS NOVEMBER 2012 ■ 109