There is a big difference between having the ability to win and believing you can win. This year, the NC State men’s swimming and diving team proved they had the skill to win the ACC Championship and the confidence to not accept anything less than a conference title.
“I think the biggest difference this year is probably two things,” head coach Braden Holloway said. “One, they actually believed that they could do it, where last year I think they weren’t sure. This year they actually believed it, and they actually knew it could happen. Once the meet got going, then they knew it was going to happen and they just kept the pedal down.”
Confidence isn’t necessarily an easy trait to obtain, but the Wolfpack has made it a point of emphasis. The belief in the team’s capabilities started with the coaching staff and has made its way to swimmers’ mindsets, especially the seniors.
“This year, absolutely everyone bought into the team,” senior Stephan Coetzer said. “There was nobody who was more concerned about their individual performance over the team. Everybody put the team above themselves, and it was awesome to see everyone do whatever needed to be done.”
Despite it being their first ACC Championship appearance, several freshmen rose to the occasion of the championship meet and perform at a high level.
Among these newcomers included freshman Hennessey Stuart, who won the 200-yard backstroke, breaking a school and conference record in the process.
“It’s pretty exciting freshman year I was able to rise to the expectation I think Braden had for me,” Stuart said. “All season long we’ve been training for me to accomplish what I did. Even with the pressure of the meet and coming in as a freshman, it was very stressful at first, but by the third day, I was feeling more comfortable with myself, which is why I was able to swim as fast as I did.”
The coaches and fans created an energetic and exciting environment for the Wolfpack in Atlanta, but Holloway looked for support from leaders to help the team carry the energy level into their swims.
“Our seniors were great. We had David Williams, Stephan Coetzer, John Newell, and Michael Camper,” Holloway said. “They knew what this meant for our program, for our tradition, for the alumni, the family in the stands. Senior leadership was absolutely amazing last week.”
The hard work and dedication paid off for both swimmers and coaches after an undefeated season when the Wolfpack was announced conference champions and took its rightful place on the podium.
“The guys were on a mission,” Holloway said. “They just went in and from the first race to the last race they didn’t stop and they had fun with it. It was a good conference finish to a good season. The goal is to do it again.”
The four-day meet was filled with broken records, NCAA cuts and seemed to be a turning point for the program. After 25 years without claiming an ACC title, the men’s team has continued to improve and build upon what is now a solid foundation.
“In one way, it will be a little hard because they had such a high and now they have to get back to work,” Holloway said. “I think it provides them the knowledge that they’re capable being a lot better than they’ve ever been. And I think they know and are thinking, ‘Why stop now? Let’s just have the year you dream about.’”
The combination of the coaching staff and the swimmers is clearly a winning recipe within the conference, and they continue to forge ahead with the ACC Championship momentum as they work toward the NCAA meet.
