The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/976701
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER in lane one or lane eight I can't see. I didn't swim for the time — I swam for the win. "So after another 100, I changed speeds, and that's when I broke off from him. I just came home making sure I didn't go overboard and yet went as hard as I could." The mental challenge of the 1,650 free, Ipsen noted, is it's the one race where you know what is going on. It's a tactical race where you have to pace yourself. Even something as mundane as looking at the lap counter that is dipped into the pool at each turn so the swimmers know where they are can lead to decisions. "You can look at the counter too much and focus on how much you have left be- fore it hurts," Ipsen noted. When Ipsen shook free of Auboeck, his challenge was to contain himself for the final 500-plus yards. "I had to calm myself down so much because I was kind of freaking out," Ipsen admitted. "It was something that you have dreamed about doing coming into the col- legiate system — I wished I could be a NCAA champion. "Now I am in a spot where I have that feeling that I could do it, and that I just need to hold on." Held on Ipsen did, cementing a legacy that he is proud about. "Legacy is a big part of our team cul- ture," Ipsen explained. "You want to leave a legacy from class to class, but also from an era to era. It really makes me happy that I can say not only did I leave a mark for myself but also pushed my teammates." Team MVP Vazaios, the ACC Male Swimmer of the Year, is arguably NC State's best all-around swimmer. His leadoff swim for the champi- onship 800 freestyle relay would have been good enough to finish fourth in the 200 free finals. It was also an ACC record time. He also finished second to Florida star senior Jan Switkowski in the 200 individual medley, and then came in third in the 100 backstroke. In his final race of the meet, Vazaios added an individual national title in dramatic fashion. His 200 butterfly swim has a natu- ral come-from-behind style, but midway through the 200 finals — where he was the top seed after being the lone swimmer in the prelims to break 1:40 — Vazaios was sitting in a virtual tie for fourth place and 0.83 sec- onds behind the leader, Switkowski. Vazaios made his move. Over the next 50 yards he cut Switkowski's lead down to just 0.14 seconds and was in second place. Vazaios recalled that in the 200 individual medley he did not get to swim next to Swit- kowski, and thus couldn't race him. This time, Vazaios could see him. When it came for the last turn, Vazaios knew he was in a good spot. "I saw that I was ahead of the guys on the right side of me, so I knew then that I was go- ing for it," he said."I had a feeling that I was going to be first. I just stayed in my race." The training techniques to perfect his come-from-behind style paid off. "Staying behind for the first 100 is always dangerous because they could always be going too slow," he said. "I knew they were going fast for the 100. Staying close to them I had a feeling that, 'Okay I am feeling fast, and I am feeling great and can come back.'" NC State has done a good job of making Vazaios feel good for two years now. He arrived in time for the 2016-17 season from Athens, Greece, and made the transition seem easy. He was part of the 2017 800 free relay national title team and won the ACC title in the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley while reaching the A finals in the 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships. "The team helped me a lot," Vazaios noted. "I have been saying that to my par- ents and everyone. They helped me to not feel homesick at all. Since the first day they welcomed me like I have been here forever. That was a big deal for me. "That's why I came to NC State because even through emails and Skype when I was talking to the coaching staff with Braden and Bobby [Guntoro], I could feel that fam- ily vibe. I am pretty excited and grateful and blessed to be here as part of NC State." ■ The Wolfpack's 800 freestyle relay — from left to right, junior Andreas Vazaios, junior Jacob Molacek, junior Justin Ress and senior Ryan Held — took home its second straight national crown. PHOTO BY JUSTIN CASTERLINE