In its first competition on the road this season, NC State swimming and diving defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia. After capturing a commanding lead on Friday, the Pack closed the deal on Saturday with final scores of 232.5-134.5 on the men’s side and 218-152 for the women.
Men’s team
During this dual meet, the No. 5 ranked Wolfpack men dominated the No. 7 ranked Bulldogs. NC State saw strong performances from its top athletes, maintaining a strong lead throughout the weekend.
Senior Sam Hoover demonstrated his ranging abilities, setting a pool record for the 100 individual medley with a time of 47.20. Hoover also won the 200 breaststroke event finishing at 1:57.34.
Following Hoover’s pool record-setting finish in the 100 individual medley, his teammates helped sweep the podium. Sophomore Daniel Diehl finished second at 48.27, and freshman Simon Bermudez finished third at 49.13.
Continuing its success in the individual medley events, the Pack swept another podium in the 200 individual medley as Diehl finished first at 1:43.85, with Bermudez following at 1:45.86 and junior Kyle Ponsler finished third at 1:47.50.
The 800 free relay squad — featuring Hoover, Diehl, freshman Kaii Winkler and sophomore Jerry Fox — showcased their talents as they posted the new best time in the NCAA at 6:19.81.
Freshman Arsen Kozhakhmetov earned his first collegiate win after displaying his speed in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 52.80.
Women’s team
The No. 12 Wolfpack women trounced No. 10 Georgia as it swept the Bulldogs on Saturday to win by 66.
Freshman Leah Shackley led the pack in winning four events: the 100 back, the 100 fly, the 200 back and 200 fly. Shackley also played a part in winning the 200 Medley Relay team which posted a time of 1:36.66.
The Pack dominated the 100 breastroke event as senior Grace Sheble finished first at 1:00.52, followed by junior Aubree Brouwer at 1:00.70 and freshman Lisa Nystrand at 1:01.10 — sweeping the podium and snatching 16 points for the pack.
Graduate Chase Travis climbed the record books as she now holds the third fastest time in school history for the 1000 freestyle with a time of 9:39.05.
Freshman Erika Pelaez continued to impress, finishing first in the 100 freestyle event with a time of 47.81. She also won the 200 freestyle, finishing a whole second ahead of second place with a time of 1:44.20. To top it off, Pelaez finished first in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:57.01.
On the diving board, Sophomore Elisabeth Rockefeller got her first and second collegiate wins in the one-meter and three-meter events.
The Wolfpack sees action Nov. 21-23 when it hosts the Wolfpack Elite GAC Invite at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Invitees include national contenders Arizona State, Duke and Virginia Tech.
