In a quick turnaround from the TYR Pro Swim Series, the No. 6/15 NC State swimming and diving team travels to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Friday for a ranked matchup with ACC opponent No. 23/11 Virginia.
The Wolfpack notched an incredible 38 top-10 finishes between the men’s and women’s teams, highlighted by second-place finishes from senior Ryan Held, senior Anton Ipsen, senior Hannah Moore and junior Justin Ress.
In one of the most exciting events of the meet, Held claimed second in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 49.35, behind Olympian Nathan Adrian at 48.75, while Ress finished in fourth. Ress would then compete in the 50-meter backstroke, notching a second-place finish in 25.04.
The 800-meter freestyle was a strength for the Pack. Ipsen swam a blistering 7:57.64 to claim second, and Moore secured third stopping the clock at 8:36.87 for the women.
The duo dominated another distance event, this time the 400-meter freestyle. Ipsen and Moore both finished in second place, touching the wall in 3:50.43 and 4:11.48, respectively; meanwhile, freshman Tamila Holub clocked in at 4:16.47 for eighth.
On the final day of competition, Moore further proved her mastery of the distance events. In the 1500-meter freestyle, her time of 16:33.42 was good for her second second-place finish of the meet.
NC State has plenty of momentum entering Friday’s tilt with the Cavaliers; however, Virginia won’t simply roll over on its home turf, especially the women’s team.
Freshman sprinter Ky-Lee Perry will have her hands full in her specialty, the 50-meter freestyle. The Cavaliers recorded the top four times in the women’s sprint versus Virginia Tech on Jan. 13. Caitlin Cooper led the way in 22.54 and Morgan Hill trailed for second finishing with a time of 23.00.
The women’s team also boasts a strong pair of breaststrokers. Vivian Tafuto and Mary Claire Tansill secured a 1-2 finish in the 200-yard breaststroke against Virginia Tech, touching the wall in 2:15.91 and 2:17.05, respectively.
The Wolfpack women will face a tougher test than the men, but the Virginia men are still ranked and should not be taken lightly.
The Cavs recorded another 1-2 finish against the Hokies, and this time in the men’s 100-yard butterfly. Bryce Keblish and Zach Fong finished just one-hundredth of a second apart in 48.70 and 48.71, respectively.
In the men’s 400-yard individual medley, Ted Schubert and Brendan Casey swam the top two times of the event, stopping the clock in 3:53.97 and 3:54.15, respectively. Also worth noting, Virginia swept the 400-yard freestyle relay and the men notched a respectable time of 2:59.66.
This weekend the Cavaliers will celebrate senior day for their nine seniors on Saturday as they host UNC-Chapel Hill; therefore, there could be extra motivation for the UVA men against the Wolfpack to send its seniors off with an upset victory.
On the women’s side, the usually superior Pack should serve as the underdog to the No. 8 Cavs. NC State will need Moore, senior Krista Duffield, senior Caroline Estep and junior Elise Haan to energize the team with big swims to take down one of the most dynamic teams in the ACC.
