The No. 3 NC State men’s swimming and diving team topped Northwestern at the Casey Aquatic Center in Raleigh Friday. The Pack had the first-place finisher in 15 of the 16 events en route to a 185-108 victory over the Wildcats.
The win moves the Pack to 2-0 on the season, while Northwestern drops to 4-1. The Wolfpack was led by a strong performance in both the relays and the individual events. The meet was an opportunity for some of the swimmers on the team to try and prove themselves in new places, according to head coach Braden Holloway.
“They took that opportunity and did a lot with it,” Holloway said. “The big thing we take away from this is that we have some areas, where we can put some new guys that are going to help us down the line. We had some guys swim some different events tonight, that at the end of the day, we may have them do it a few more times.”
The Wolfpack got off to a strong start, winning the first five events of the night. The most exciting of these victories came in the 1,000-yard freestyle. Junior Anton Ipsen won the event for State, with a time of 8:55.21, beating Northwestern’s Jordan Wilimovsky by just .79 seconds. Ipsen credited some of his success to the atmosphere the team experienced at home.
“I think the atmosphere here was great,” Ipsen said. “We as a distance group stepped up to the challenge. Wilimovsky, the guy for Northwestern, is a top-five Olympian, so it means he’s top five in the world. So, we really found energy to race him tonight.”
Along with his victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Ipsen finished first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:21.95. This was Ipsen’s fastest time in the event this season, and was nearly four seconds faster than Wilimovsky, who finished second.
Ipsen was named the ACC Swimmer of the Week for his performance against Wisconsin last weekend. He credited winning the award to hard work in the pool and said it was also a reflection of the work of the entire team. After winning the award and his success against Wilimovsky, Ipsen is looking forward to capitalizing on the momentum he has created.
“It’s huge, it’s like the momentum has raised,” Ipsen said. “I know that a lot of people around the country will see this win and they’ll be intimidated. It’s hugely important for my mentality.”
Another key to State’s victory Friday night was freshman Mark McGlaughlin. McGlaughlin won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.62, as well as the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.85. Both of these times were new career bests for McGlaughlin.
On the diving side of the event, freshmen Stewart Coleman and James Brady led NC State. Coleman finished first in the three-meter event with a score of 350.25, while Brady finished second in the one-meter event with a score of 293.78.
During most swim meets throughout the season, both the men’s and women’s teams compete together. Against the Wildcats on Friday though, it was just the men’s team. Having the teams separated comes with certain benefits, according to Holloway.
“Obviously, our girls’ team helps our men’s team throughout the entire year,” Holloway said. “But, at the end of the day at the Championship meet, there are no girls there.”
The next meet for the swimming and diving team is Saturday morning, as the women’s team travels to Durham to take on Duke. The men’s and women’s teams get back together for competition Nov. 5, in a marquee matchup against UT-Austin in Austin, Texas.
