Reported by Spencer Penland.
2018 IU INVITATIONAL
- Thursday-Saturday, November 15-17th
- Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center, Bloomington, IN
- Short Course Yards
- Live Results
MEN’S 100 FREE
Zach Apple (IU) was off his #2 in the nation time from this morning, but still managed to get his hand on the wall first, tocuhing in 42.44. Jacob Molacek (NC State) was right behind him, touching in 44.50. Mohamed Samy (IU) came in 3rd, dropping a 42.61. Apple was out very fast, hitting the 50 mark in 20.17, half a second faster than Molacek. Justin Ress (NC State) came in 4th, touching in 42.74, and NC State freshman Nyls Korstanje dipped under 43 for the first time to come in 5th with a 42.95.
NC State men are all HANDSOME!!
It’s interesting to see how NC State sprinters do so many different events and strokes in season. Ress, Molacek, Izzo, Stewart all can do so more than just their main stroke.
I’d love to hear the insight of the coaches’ training philosophy!
I am also fascinated that their 50 sprinters also can swim an elite 200.
There was an ASCA article about a year ago where Braden talked about how he trains all his 50 guys up to swim the 200. I think every Monday practice is training for the 200.
In 2015 when NC State came roaring on the national scene and nearly won all the free relays with just 5 swimmers. Eddie was amazed at their range, stamina, endurance, and versatility. Texas used 10 swimmers for their free relays. That summer the Wolfpack were invited to Austin to train with the Longhorns. Eddie wanted to see how their practices were run and see what he could learn. Eddie insists that they swim the Wolfpack every year. He is always trying to learn.
And yet they perennially struggle in breaststroke. It’s weird.
Yes on the men’s side. But they had a girl went 58.4 over the weekend.
That is true, though she was already very fast coming in to this year. Obviously NC State won’t necessarily kill your breaststroke (though guys like Zach Warner have struggled), but there is some cause for concern there, at least on the men’s side.
Most of the top teams last year lacked a good breaststroker.
On the contrary, I believe every top 15 team last year except NC State Texas and Alabama had a scoring breaststroker, and State is the only one of those not to have had a top tier breaststroker in the past couple years.
I my opinion a top level team is in the top 5 rankings. After that the points really drop off. Teams that are top 5-15 have absolutely no chance of winning a title. Most of the good breaststrokers last year were from teams not even close to the top of the rankings- MN, TxAM, Cornell,TN, SCar. Molacek set the national high school record in the breast but his points were more valuable as a freestyler. A team really only needs one good breaststroke and a really good one is hard to come by. Even mighty TX had no breaststroker. How is that possible??
That was the case last year if you’re only looking at the very top tier teams and breaststrokers, but my point was that NC State’s lack of breaststroke is a more systemic issue, similar to the Cal women (as well as the Florida men to some degree). Yes Texas was lacking a great one last year, but that was just the way the roster shook out and no one could accuse the Eddie and Kris coaching regime of struggling with breaststrokers. The same goes for the Cal, IU, Michigan, and USC staffs. Stanford has had a tumultuous couple years so it’s hard to say. NC State has not had anything close to a top tier breaststroker in recent memory. Maybe… Read more »
Same type of comments were made about distance swimmers at NC State 4 years ago. The perception was it was all sprinting. Anton Ipson and others changed that narrative. Both the men’s & women’s teams at State have good new Breastrokers on the team. We will see how they develop.