It is not often that three-time All-American collegiate athletes transfer from one school to another, especially when they have found as much success as swimmer Joe Bonk. Now a junior at NC State, Bonk transferred this summer from Virginia Tech in hopes of building upon his Hokie success and continuing his swimming career with steadily growing program.

“It was a really hard decision,” Bonk said. “But I’m happy that I was able to make the decision to leave Virginia Tech for the better, and I’m happy where I am now.” 

As a Raleigh native, Bonk got into swimming at an early age and quickly discovered his natural talent and love for the sport.

“I’ve been swimming summer league since I was 5 years old,” Bonk said. “I watched my sister swim, and that got me interested initially, and then when I was about 10 years old she was swimming year-round with the [YMCA], and I followed suit and fell in love with it immediately.”

When Bonk really started to distinguish himself from his peers, he started to consider continuing his swimming career on the collegiate level. After researching several schools, Bonk found a match with Virginia Tech. 

Current NC State head swim coach Braden Holloway had initially recruited Bonk to swim with the Hokies before returning to his alma mater to coach the Wolfpack in 2011.

“He just was a good swimmer,” Holloway said. “He had a good feel for the water. He wasn’t crazy strong. He didn’t have perfect technique, but he had a very good feel for the water. He also had a good catch out front and was able to move really well through the water, and I just figured you could add a lot of strength to that and do something with it.”

After two years with Virginia Tech where Bonk was a three-time All-American and ACC champion, he wanted more and decided to make a change and pursue training elsewhere.

“After my freshman year, I didn’t really quite have the season I wanted to at Virginia Tech,” Bonk said. “I sat down with the head coach and talked it over, and he told me he wanted me to give it another year. But it ended up not working out once again, and after my sophomore year I was unhappy swimming-wise and in other facets of my life as well.”

Holloway had been a huge part in Bonk’s decision to first swim at Virginia Tech and played a major role in his decision to transfer to the Wolfpack.

“Braden got me super interested in Virginia Tech,” Bonk said. He’s a big reason why I went there initially and definitely got me hooked on them and hooked on State as well. I guess I’m a big Braden Holloway fan.”

Despite the stretch between initially recruiting him to Virginia Tech and Bonk’s outreach a few years later, Holloway still believed in Bonk’s ability and what he could contribute to the team both in and out of the pool. 

“One big thing we expect and are already seeing is him being a leader, especially for our younger guys,” Holloway said. “I think he can provide a great leadership role as we continue go toward a national championship. And as far as in the pool, I think he can come in and help us immediately in the sprint events, and obviously have a pretty big role to play in the relays.”

Although adjusting to a new school and program can be difficult, Bonk has had no problem fitting right in and dedicating himself to his training. 

“The team has embraced me with open arms, so it’s been a relatively easy transition,” Bonk said. “The guys here are great, and I enjoy training with them and hanging out with them. They are just genuinely great guys.”

As the season progresses and training becomes more difficult, Bonk’s competitive nature drives him to work harder and maintain his passion for the sport.

“I like the competition,” Bonk said. “I’m very competitive especially when it comes to going against other people. I’m intrinsically motivated and outwardly as well. I have my own personal goals to beat other people and go up the ranks as much as I can, and that’s really a lot of fun for me.”

Both Bonk and the team have high hopes for the season as they continue to stride for a national championship.