N.C. State is enjoying unprecedented levels of success in 2013-2014, led by superstar athletes making names for themselves across the country. At the forefront is a Wolfpack team that is gearing up to make even more noise in the coming months.
The N.C. State Women’s Swimming and Diving team may be one of State’s more unheralded sports, playing in the shadow of revenue sports such as football and men’s basketball. However, if you aren’t paying attention to this year’s squad, you are missing out on a lot of excitement.
Boasting perhaps one of its strongest teams ever, the Wolfpack is poised to bring home honors at the ACC Championships and NCAA Nationals. Among the Wolfpackers expected to make a splash is senior sprinter Zina Grogg.
Grogg’s main events are the 100 yd. backstroke and 100 yd. butterfly, both of which she currently holds the school records for. Grogg was an All-ACC performer in the 100 breaststroke in 2012-2013 and also holds school records as a member of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.
The Moon Township, Penn. native didn’t even start swimming year-round until she was a senior in high school. But Grogg’s late start didn’t stop her from making her mark, earning five All-American selections in her high school career and winning the 2010 State Championship in the 100 butterfly. She also made a name for herself on the soccer field, as she earned three varsity letters for the girls’ soccer team.
But swimming was Grogg’s true passion. Grogg said she knew N.C. State was home on the second day of her official visit.
“I was so nervous going into it, thinking that I wasn’t going to know, but once I was here I knew that this is where I wanted to be and this is where I needed to be,” Grogg said.
Now, just four years later, she is cementing her legacy as one of the greatest swimmers to ever grace N.C. State’s pools.
Grogg’s ambitions don’t end when she steps out of the pool. Grogg said is currently applying to N.C. State’s grad school to earn her masters in public administration.
Grogg, who graduates in May, also said that she may be interested in coaching after her swimming career comes to a close.
“You never know,” Grogg said. “It always seems like you end up back around the water.”
As students settle into their spring schedules, the swimming team enters the most crucial part of its season. With key meets against Villanova and Minnesota approaching and the ACC tournament looming, the Wolfpack has a chance to make a name for itself.
Grogg said she can’t wait for the upcoming meets.
“This is the time of year that the season gets really exciting, because all the hard work starts to pay off in January,” Grogg stated. “So I expect us to really get it going, and it’s going to be a really exciting end to the season.”
The Wolfpack begins its late season push this afternoon as it takes on Villanova at 3:00 P.M. at the N.C. State Aquatic Center.
