The NC State women’s swimming and diving team earned wins over Florida International and Kansas, posting the fastest time and highest score in all 18 events contested, in its first of two meets on the weekend.
The Wolfpack defeated the Panthers, 160-126, and topped the Jayhawks, 161-119, at Biscayne Aquatic Center Friday afternoon.
“Today was a good start to our weekend competition in Florida, and is always fun to compete against new teams. There are a lot of positives to take away from this meet, as well as a few things we need to work on to get ready for the championship season,” said head coach Braden Holloway.
“The ladies had a lot fun, and a few people swam some events that they don’t normally compete in which is always a good takeaway. We had several good performances, but still have some things to work on and that’s what the second half of the season is for, to fine tune the little things.
“This was our first meet with Hannah Moore, a transfer from Michigan, and it was great to have her with us. She had a great day and it served as an opportunity for us as a staff to get to know more about her as a swimmer.
“Now we’ll head to Fort Myers and get ready to go up against some more quality teams tomorrow. We’re excited for another opportunity to race outdoors in the warm weather.”
NC State posted the top two times in both relays of the meet. The team of Yuri Nakano, Kayla Brumbaum, Krista Duffield and Natalie Labonge won the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:42.34, while the squad of Ashlyn Koletic, Duffield, Courtney Caldwell and Alexia Zevnik touched the wall in 1:33.94 to finish first in the 200 freestyle relay.
NC State dominated the field in the distance free events. Sophomore transfer Hannah Moore made her debut for the Wolfpack in Miami in the 1,650 free, winning the event after posting a NCAA ‘B’ standard time of 16:18.41. Rachel Muller additionally earned a win in the 500 free with a time of 4:59.22.
Freshman Allie Fogleman posted valuable points for the Pack in the distance free events, as she finished third in the 1,650 free with a time of 17:20.17 and second in the 500 free with a mark of 5:04.82.
In the 200 free, Shelly Craddock and Muller took a one, two finish with times of 1:51.22 and 1:51.71, in respective order.
In both sprint events NC State topped the podium. Labonge won the 50 and 100 free, as the posted marks of 23.48 (50) and 50.73 (100). Riki Bonnema and Koletic followed behind Labonge in the 50 after touching the wall in 23.59 and 23.80, respectively.
Zevnik and Caldwell rounded out the top three spots in the 100 free, as Zevnik finished second in 51.48 and Caldwell placed third with a time of 51.71.
Lindsay Morrow and Lotta Nevalainen notched the top two times in the 100 backstroke, as Morrow won the event after stopping the clock at 56.04 and Nevalainen followed in suit with a time of 57.17.
The two backstroke specialists repeated their performances in the 200, as Morrow finished first with a time of 2:01.35 and Nevalainen placed second with a mark of 2:03.49.
Brumbaum swept the breaststroke events, as she touched the wall in 1:03.74 in the 100 and in 2:17.25 in the 200. Additionally, Payton Schrum tabbed third-place finishes in both events, as she posted a mark of 1:05.84 in the 100 and a time of 2:22.50 in the 200.
Nakano notched the fastest time in the 100 butterfly after posting a mark of 55.75, while Craddock and Lydia Jones finished first and second in the 200 fly with times of 2:03.23 and 2:04.76, respectively.
Moore tabbed another top time in her respective event in her debut for the Pack, as she stopped the clock at 4:22.40 in the 400 individual medley.
Rachel Mumma earned the top scores in the one and three-meter dives in NC State’s tri-meet. She earned a mark of 319.40 in the one-meter and a score of 291.60 in the three-meter.
The Pack will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to face Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty and Central Connecticut State in a quad meet. Competition is slated for a 10 a.m. start at FGCU Aquatics Complex.
Florida International
The FIU swimming and diving team (7-3) got a split result during the FIU Tri-Meet, defeating No. 44 Kansas, 150.50-148.50, and falling to No. 19 N.C. State, 160-126, on Friday afternoon from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Kyna Pereira posted an overall second-place finish in the 1650 meter freestyle with a time of 16:52.70. The native of Umkomaas, South Africa, earned a victory over the Jayhawks with the meet’s second-fastest time. Pereira also claimed the overall top time in the 500 meter freestyle, recording a 4:56.21. The mark was her fourth-fastest time of the season.
Sophomore Skye Carey gave FIU another first-place finish versus KU in the 200 meter freestyle. The reigning Conference USA Swimmer of the Week recorded the third-fastest time of the meet with a 1:53.26. Carey also added an overall third-place finish in the 200 meter backstroke with a time of 2:03.84. Her performance gave FIU another first-place result against the Jayhawks.
Sophomore Naomi Ruele added another nine points for the Panthers versus the Jayhawks with a time of 57.62 in the 100 meter backstroke. The Botswana, Africa, product registered another third-place finish overall behind a pair of N.C. State swimmers.
Sophomore Letizia Bertelli had the fourth-best time of the day in the 100 meter freestyle, scoring a 52.66. The top time for the Panthers also bested the Jayhawks as Bertelli picked up nine points for FIU. Newcomer Marie Lauridsen made her FIU debut on Friday, registering a 58.81 in the 100 meter butterfly. Her time gave FIU a first-place finish versus N.C. State.
In diving, sophomore Rebecca Quesnel swept both the 1-meter and 3-meter programs, topping both N.C State and Kansas. The current C-USA Diver of the Week posted a team-best 282.05 on the 1-meter, while scoring a 280.35 on the 3-meter.
With the split, FIU moves to 7-3 in dual meets on the year and holds a 4-2 mark at home.
The Panthers will next host the FIU Relays on Saturday, Jan. 9. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will feature William Jewel College, Sacred Heart, Indianapolis, NJIT, Nebraska Wesleyan and Ripon College.
Kansas
Bryce Hinde swam to a pair of second-place finishes and Kansas swimmers Haley Bishop and Madison Straight add two more, but the highlights were few as the Jayhawks dropped two decisions to No. 13 North Carolina State and Florida International at Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center Friday afternoon. Kansas was defeated by the Wolfpack, 161-119, and was edged by FIU, 150.5-148.5.
Hinde, a senior captain from Fort Scott, Kan., was the runner-up in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events as Kansas competed as a team for the first time in nearly 35 days while opening the Florida swing of its winter training slate. Straight was second in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:24.51, just two seconds behind NC State's Hannah Moore at 4:22.40. Bishop (55.81) nearly claimed the Jayhawks only victory of the day in the 100 butterfly, but was out-touched by NC State's Yurie Nakano (55.75).
On the diving boards, Graylyn Jones finished third on the one-meter board with a total score of 250.85 and was fourth on the three-meter board with a score of 226.45. FIU's Becca Quesnel won both events with a 282.05 on three-meter and 280.35 on one-meter.
"It was a humbling experience," Kansas head coach Clark Campbell said. "To practice the back-to-back racing is really important as we look ahead to the Big 12 Conference meet. Today was not a shining moment, but we have another opportunity to put this race out of our minds and go for it again tomorrow. This time of the year the results can be volatile, you just kind of live and learn."
Kansas will have a chance to redeem itself Saturday when the Jayhawks compete against Miami and Rutgers in Coral Gables, Fla., just a short drive away. Kansas will spend nearly a week in Florida training before returning to Lawrence to continue preparations for the championship portion of the season.
