NC State men’s swimming and diving secured 178 points at the NCAA championships held in Federal Way, Washington, placing ninth, 312 points behind the first-place Texas Longhorns. This marks the Wolfpack’s 10th consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAAs.
Swimmers reaching the final two heats in the championships with a top 16 placement in the preliminary heats are considered to be All-Americans. NC State had 29 such placements, with nine earning the honor in an individual event and 20 in a relay event.
Although the Pack did not claim any individual titles, it boasted many personal best performances and multiple top-10 individual finishes to push the team into ninth place, including setting a new American record in the 400m medley relay.
Relays
Performances from the relay teams were especially strong. The 200m medley relay squad featuring redshirt sophomore Quintin McCarty, sophomore Jerry Fox, senior Sam Hoover and graduate Luke Miller secured a sixth-place finish and the third fastest mark in NC State history with a time of 1:21.16.
The 400m medley relay team featuring Fox, Hoover, Miller and McCarty placed ninth with a time of 3:01.34, breaking the American record of 3:01.51 set by California in 2017, as the NC State squad was the fastest in the event to have no international swimmers.
The 800m freestyle relay team, composed of freshman Kaii Winkler, sophomore Daniel Diehl, Miller and Hoover placed seventh with a time of 6:06.95. The 200m freestyle relay team, featuring McCarty, Miller, Fox and junior Drew Salls, placed fifth with a time of 1:14.37, the third best in program history.
The 400m freestyle relay squad, featuring Fox, Hoover, Miller and McCarty, finished with a time of 2:45.09, the third fastest finish in NC State history, and placed sixth in the event.
Individuals
In his final season with the Pack, Miller has climbed up the all-time list of decorated NC State swimmers. With six All-American finishes, Miller now boasts the fourth most All-American titles for an NC State athlete with 22.
Graduate Owen Lloyd, after getting his redemption at the ACC championships, claimed the top finish of any individual, with a fifth-place finish in the 1650m freestyle. His time of 14:29.13 cut nearly seven seconds off of his personal best set a month earlier at the ACC Championships. Joining Lloyd as an All-American in this event were junior Lance Norris, who placed 13th with a time of 14:38.31, and senior Will Gallant, who placed 14th with a time of 14:38.68.
McCarty also claimed six All-American titles, including his relay performances, and finished eighth in the 50m freestyle event with a time of 18.79 — but his preliminary heat time of 18.62 was the second fastest in program history. Salls, also in the 50m freestyle, finished 16th with a time of 19:09. McCarty also earned a top-16 finish in the 100m backstroke.
Junior Kyle Ponsler, competing in the 400 IM and finishing with a time of 3:37.42, broke the school record, which he had previously set, and placed ninth.
Despite missing out on a fourth consecutive top-five finish at NCAAs, head coach Braden Holloway and NC State men’s swimming and diving had a successful season in the new era of conference realignment.
