N.C. State
Opening its 2015-16 season in #STATEment fashion, the NC State swimming and diving team recorded 10 first-place finishes and six meet records on the first day of the All-North Carolina Invitational inside Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Through 12 events the women’s side sits in first place with 527 points, while East Carolina and Davidson round out the top three spots with 489 and 309 points, in respective order. The Wolfpack men also sit in first place after tallying 542 points, as East Carolina and Gardner-Webb are in second and third with 485 and 364 points, respectively.
Holloway’s Statement
“Today was a great way to kick off our season. It was a lot of fun on the pool deck and our team had a lot of energy,” said head coach Braden Holloway. “Several of our freshmen had an opportunity to have their first collegiate competition experience today and did quite well. We had a few mistakes today that cost us some points that we need to get sharper on, but overall it was a good start.”
“We had six meet records, and anytime you break a meet record that’s always a good indicator that you're off to a good start. We look forward to tomorrow and capitalizing on what we did today.”
Wolfpack Relays
The men’s and women’s teams took the top two spots in their respective 200 freestyle relay events. The women’s squad of Natalie Labonge, Ashlyn Koletic, Krista Duffield and Christine Kerr finished first with a meet record time of 1:32.17, while the quartet of Lotta Nevalainen, Alexia Zevnik, Riki Bonnema and Courtney Caldwell placed second with a mark of 1:32.76.
On the men’s side, the group of Scott Johnson, Simonas Bilis, Soren Dahl and Justin Ress finished in a tie for first place with the team of Jason Deana, Ryan Held, Joe Bonk and Andreas Schiellerup. Both relay squads stopped the clock at 1:19.72 to notch a meet record.
In the 400 medley relay, the women’s team of Lindsay Morrow, Maddie Witzke, Koletic and Duffield posted a meet record time of 3:47.38 to win the event. The men’s squad of Schiellerup, Derek Hren, Held and Bonk also posted a meet record in the event as they stopped the clock at 3:16.81.
The relay group of Hennessey Stuart, Patrick Schwarzenbach, Bilis and Dahl placed second in the men’s relay event with a mark of 3:17.08.
Freestyle Watch
In the women’s 500 free, senior transfer Michelle Craddock swam a time of 5:01.18 to place first in her debut for the Wolfpack.
Junior Kendall Pena and freshmen Allie Fogleman and Anna Jahns posted the third, fourth and fifth fastest times of the event with marks of 5:04.62, 5:05.33 and 5:07.32, respectively.
On the men’s side Ress, a freshman, also finished first in the men’s 500 free in the first meet of his career. He touched the wall in 4:31.36 to mark a meet record.
Teammates Adam Linker, Austin Snyder and Christian McCurdy followed behind Ress with the second, third and fourth fastest times of the event with marks of 4:31.55, 4:34.49 and 4:38.22, in respective order.
In the women’s 50 free, the Pack posted the top four times of the event. Nevalainen took the top honor with a time of 23.45, while Labonge and Caldwell tied for second place with a mark of 23.70. Kerr followed her teammates with a mark of 24.04.
Scott Johnson tied for second in the men’s 50 free with a time of 20.84, while Deana finished fifth stopping the clock at 21.11.
Individual Medley
In the women’s 200 individual medley, newcomer Morrow took the top honor in her first collegiate competition with a time of 2:05.56. Junior Kayla Brumbaum narrowly finished second with a mark of 2:05.74.
Ryan Wilkinson and Anton Ipsen from the men’s squad earned a one, two finish in the 200 IM. Wilkinson recorded a meet record time of 1:52.13 to win the event while Ipsen posted a time of 1:52.53 to place second.
Springboard Action
Rachel Mumma and Gabrielle McDermott earned the top two spots in the women’s one-meter competition. Mumma recorded a six-dive total of 270.30 while McDermott posted a mark of 225.83.
In the men’s three-meter dive, Harrison Mitchell finished third with a total of 256.60 while freshman Stewart Spanbauer notched a six-dive score of 235.28.
Up Next
The Pack will continue competition at the All-NC Invitational Saturday at 10:00 a.m. inside Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Catawba
Catawba opened its 2015-16 swim season on Friday on the first night of the All-NC Invite being held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The field of up to 10 teams is mainly comprised of NCAA Division I squads. The Catawba men earned 129 points and stand seventh, while the women garnered 81 points and are 10th.
Catawba fielded two men's 200 freestyle relay teams and finished 10th and 11th. The team of Aly Hegazi, Dominic Brus, Robert McCue and Arnold Blohme had a time of 1:30.85, while Jevgenij Gamper, Rafal Baran, Michael King and Ethan Davis were right behind with a time of 1:32.12.
Hegazi came back to finish 12th in the 500 free, the top individual finish for a Catawba swimmer. He swam a time of 4:47.33. Gamper went 15th in the 200 IM (2:01.37) and Blohme was 27th in the 50 free (23.40).
The women got the meet started in the 200 free relay and placed ninth. Amy Cujas, Nadine Brockmann, Palmer Benson and Marcia-Mariel Erhart posted a time of 1:42.03 which was the 10th best time in school history.
Individually, Cujas swam a time of 24.98 in the 50 free, finishing 17th in a time that placed 16th on the all-time chart. Erhart claimed a 17th place finish in the 500 free (5:19.83) and Benson was 31st in the 200 IM (2:22.97).
