The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER In dominant fashion, NC State's men's swimming and diving team claimed its fourth straight ACC title Feb. 21-24 in Greens- boro, N.C., winning the meet by 286.5 points over second-place Louisville. The Wolfpack, which was ranked No. 5 nationally in the coaches' poll going into the ACC Championships, won 10 of the 13 indi- vidual races and four of the five relays en route to the league title. Senior Ryan Held was named the meet's Most Valuable Swim- mer after winning the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and also taking part on all four of the relay wins. "It's a tough task and everyone's gunning for you — it meant a lot for those seniors," head coach Braden Holloway said. "They all came here to help create what we're doing and to see them go out on a high note and go for four-for-four was pretty impressive. "I'm happy for those guys. It's a great achievement for the men." Held teamed with juniors Jacob Molacek and Justin Ress and sophomore Coleman Stewart to set a new American record in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 2:45.69 seconds. Held, Ress, Molacek and freshman Giovanni Izzo took the top four spots in the 100 free. Senior Anton Ipsen made a compelling case to be the MVP after setting a new ACC record in winning the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 14:31.21, and also taking first place in school record times in both the 500 freestyle and 400 individual medley. Ipsen was also on the 800 relay that opened the meet with a victory. Ress and Stewart also had strong meets. Stewart won both the 100 and 200 backstroke, taking the former in an ACC record time and the fifth fastest mark in history, and he was also second in the 100 butterfly. Ress won the 200 freestyle and was second to Held in the 50 freestyle in addition to the 100 freestyle. This was NC State's 28th ACC championship on the men's side. The Pack's next task is the NCAA Championships, where Hollo- way's squad has finished fourth in each of the past two years, tying the 1955 team for the best showing in school history. This year's national meet takes place March 21-24 in Minneapolis. NC State women's swimming and diving team was hit hard by injuries during the season, including losing top freestyle sprinter sophomore Ky-lee Perry in January, but still finished a strong third behind Virginia and Louisville at the ACC Championships Feb. 14-17 in Greensboro, N.C. Senior Hannah Moore took home the ACC title in the 1,650 freestyle and was third in the 500 freestyle to highlight NC State's effort. The Pack also scored a title in the platform dive courtesy of sophomore Madeline Kline. Several freshmen also had promising meets for NC State, head- lined by Julia Poole. She was third in the 200 individual medley and sixth in both the 200 breaststroke and 400 individual medley, earning All-ACC honors in all three races. Freshman long distance swimmer Tamila Holub was second to Moore in the 1,650 freestyle, and freshman Dan- ika Huizinga was fourth in the 200 backstroke. "While a lot of people counted us out, we battled hard … and impressed a lot of people," Holloway said. "Our women have never given up all year. They fought hard every day of the season and this was no ex- ception." The NCAA Champion- ships for NC State's wom- en's team will be held March 14-17 in Columbus, Ohio. Last year, NCSU finished a program-best seventh at the NCAA meet (before the NCAA sanctioned women's sports, NCSU finished sixth at the 1980 and 1981 AIAW Nationals). NC State was No. 11 in the coaches' poll that was released following the ACC meet. ■ TRACKING THE PACK Men's Swimming Wins Fourth Straight ACC Title For the 28th time in program history, NC State's men's swimming and diving team claimed the ACC title. The Pack won 10 of the 13 individual races and four of the five relays. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS