Continuing its successful start to its 2021-2022 season, the Wolfpack swimming and diving teams defeated both Auburn and Kentucky in Auburn, Alabama for its third straight win to begin this year.
The NC State men were dominant throughout the evening, including seven podium sweeps to secure the victory, while the women also had a great day in the water to take first place.
Setting the tone for the evening, sophomores James Plage, Will Gallant and junior Ross Dant grabbed the first sweep of the night for the Wolfpack in the 1000-yard freestyle with times of 9:00.34, 9:02.72 and 9:02.81 respectively.
The Pack also came away with the sweep in the men’s 200-yard butterfly. Junior Noah Henderson secured first place with a time of 1:45.05, while junior Noah Bowers grabbed second with a time of 1:45.71 and senior Zach Brown came in third at 1:46.71. On the women’s side of things, sophomore Abby Arens placed first in the same event with a time of 1:56.19.
Cruising his way to his first collegiate victory, freshman Sam Hoover took first place in the men’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 43.78 ,while senior Kylee Alons grabbed her first of three individual titles in the women’s 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 49.40. She also had top finishes in the women’s 50-yard freestyle, completing the event in just 49.40 seconds and the 100-yard butterfly in which she swam a 52.75.
Junior Nyls Korstanje led the men’s side of that event, swimming a 46:24 for first place while Henderson and freshman Aiden Hayes followed up for another NC State sweep.
Junior Katharine Berkoff dominated in the women’s backstroke events, grabbing wins in both the 100-yard and 200-yard races with times of 51.85 and 1:53.73, while senior Giovanni Izzo added another win to the already growing list for the men in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 47.52 and junior Hunter Tapp sealed the victory in the men’s 200-yard backstroke swimming a 1:44.97.
Other highlights throughout the evening include senior Sophie Hansson’s performances in the breaststroke events. The Swedish olympian secured first with a time of 59:11 in the 100-yard race and in the 200-yard race with a time of 2:10.25.
The dominance only continued for the Pack in the relay portion of the competition.
Hayes, senior Rafal Kusto, Korstanje and freshman David Curtiss led the Pack to a victory in the men’s 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:25.93, while Miller, junior Hunter Tapp, Piszczorowicz and Korstanje swam a 2:52.79 for first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The women were just as successful in their events, as Berkoff, Hansson, Arens and junior Heather Maccausland claimed the victory in the women’s 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:37:34 while Berkoff, Alons junior Ellie Giesler and sophomore Abbey Webb got it done in the 400-yard freestyle relay winning with a time of 3:18.76.
Junior Helene Synott and freshman Ashton Zuburg were the lone members of the Wolfpack to reach the podium in the diving events. Synott took second place in the women’s 1-meter, trailing first place by just under six points. Zuburg took the same spot in the women’s 3-meter, beating out third place by just over a point.
The Pack will return back to North Carolina in about a month to host the NC State/GAC Invitational in Greensboro from Nov. 18-20.
