Over 250 of the nation’s top collegiate swimmers will meet in Knoxville, Tennessee next week on one of the biggest stages there is, aside from the Olympics or World Championships.
The 2023 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships kicks off on Wednesday, March 15 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center. Thirteen swimmers representing No. 4 NC State will hope to capture another top-five trophy after finishing a mere nine points behind fourth-place Alabama in 2022.
It’s only been two years since the Wolfpack captured a national title in the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays, but it’ll be a long climb to the top if NC State wants another first-place finish. The Pack’s best shot actually lies in the 200-yard medley relay, where it holds the 2-seed behind No. 1 Virginia, but it’s no surprise that the Cavaliers are going to be extremely tough to beat.
Speaking of, senior Katharine Berkoff’s national title in the 100-yard backstroke is most clearly threatened by Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh, who holds the best time in the nation this season at 49.25. Berkoff is seeded second, but Stanford’s Claire Curzan’s time sits a mere 0.01 seconds behind her. Berkoff will undoubtedly rake in big points no matter where she ends up, but the 100-yard backstroke is NC State’s best shot at a national title. No team wants to give that up.
Freshman Kennedy Noble, on the other hand, has nothing to lose at her first NCAAs. She’s seeded fifth in the 200-yard backstroke and 12th in the 100-yard backstroke, an impressive feat for a first-timer. She’s slated to earn 19 points for the Wolfpack, the third-highest total from any NC State swimmer.
Junior Abby Arens is in position for two top-eight finishes in Knoxville, and although the competition is deep, we could very well see the Raleigh native’s highest finish yet. Her sixth-place seed in the 200-yard butterfly is only 1.33 seconds behind the third-fastest candidate. That may seem like a lot of ground to make up, but her best time this season is just under a second faster than last season’s mark set at ACCs.
According to Swimswam, the scored psych sheets predict that NC State will finish fourth with 301.5 points, 23.5 behind Stanford. I have slightly higher hopes for the Wolfpack, considering it beat the Cardinal handily in December, but we’ll see how the two tapered, top-five teams shake out on the national stage.
Notably, it’ll be graduate student Kylee Alons’ last meet with NC State. The 27x All-American has seen incredible success during her time with the Wolfpack, becoming a core member of head coach Braden Holloway’s tough team of swimmers. Alons was a member of both national championship relays in 2021, and although she hasn’t seen quite the same level of success in recent years, her leadership will certainly be missed next season.
On the other hand, Berkoff has elected to use her remaining year of eligibility at NC State, giving the Wolfpack another season with its star backstroker.
The Wolfpack will return to the pool on Wednesday, March 15 in Knoxville, Tennessee for the 2023 women’s swimming & diving championships.
