Hansson, 200 medley relay team earn bronze at NCAAs Friday

Alec Sawyer, Assistant Sports Editor • March 22, 2019

Sophie Hansson, a freshman from Helsingborg, Sweden, swims in the 100-yard breaststroke against University of Virginia on Jan. 26 at Casey Aquatic Center. Hansson had a final time of 59.77, helping the Wolfpack beat the UVA women’s swim team 167-127.

The Wolfpack women’s swimming team continued its run at the NCAA Championships Friday, collecting two podium finishes in the evening session in Austin, Texas to build on an already strong final meet.

After garnering six All-American honors Thursday, the Wolfpack collected four more on Friday, highlighted by bronze medals from the 200-yard medley relay team and freshman Sophie Hansson in the 100-yard breaststroke.

The Wolfpack entered Friday sixth in the overall team standings and gained one spot to end the day in fifth. The Pack has 141 team points, 22 back of fourth-place Louisville. California leads the field with 328 points.

Hansson won her first career NCAA medal in the 100 breast, garnering All-American honors after swimming a 57.90. Her finals time was .01 seconds faster than her prelim time, which booked her a trip to the final with a second-place finish. Sophomore teammate Olivia Calegan also competed in the 100 breast prelims, finishing 26th.

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In the 200 medley relay, the Wolfpack team of senior Elise Haan, Hansson, freshman Kylee Alons and freshman Kylee Perry finished in 1:34.80 to take home a bronze medal and All-American status. The Pack had the second-best prelim time in the event, with the only change to the team being sophomore Sirena Rowe in Alons’ spot.

NC State had honorable mention All-Americans in the 400-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke, as junior Makayla Sargent and Haan received the honors. Sargent placed third in the ‘B’ final of the 400 IM, 11th overall, with a career-best time of 4:05.81.

Haan placed eighth in the ‘B’ final of the 100 back, 16th overall, to earn All-American status in the event for the second year in a row. She had the 11th-fastest prelim time earlier in the day to book her spot in the final.

Sargent was one of five Wolfpack swimmers that competed in the 400 IM prelims, as she was joined by sophomore Kate Moore, Sophomore Julia Poole, freshman Emma Muzzy and junior Summer Finke. Sargent earned her spot in the ‘B’ final with an 11th-place prelim finish, while Moore finished just three spots off of a finals spot in 19th.

The Wolfpack’s other individual competitor Friday was Alons, who placed 19th in the 100-yard butterfly prelims with a time of 52.12.

NC State will be back in the pool for the final day of competition Saturday, looking to best its current program-best finish of seventh place.