The NC State swimming and diving team is set to open its 2016-17 regular season this weekend, as it will host Wisconsin Friday and Saturday inside the Casey Aquatic Center.
Friday’s portion of events is set to begin at 4 p.m., while Saturday is slated for a 10 a.m. start. Live results and video will be available for both days of competition.
Holloway’s Statement:
“It’s always fun to race opponents that you don’t normally see during the regular season. We always see Wisconsin at NCAAs and it is a well-coached team. They have a lot of consistency in all areas and always perform well at the highest level,” said head coach Braden Holloway.
“We’re glad we get to host them in front of our home crowd over the course of two days. We’ll be covering a lot of events and there will be a lot of great racing this weekend. This is the latest we’ve ever started our season, so the team is itching to have some competition. Since we don’t face Wisconsin often it will make for an exciting meet to see how the events unfold.
2015-16 Season Recap:
NC State’s men and women’s teams are both coming off of one of the most successful seasons the program has ever seen.
The women’s team made large strides last year after finishing second at the ACC Championship and ninth at NCAAs. The last time the Wolfpack women earned the runner-up spot at ACCs and a top-10 finish at NCAAs was in 1982.
The Wolfpack men captured their second-straight title and 26th in program history at the conference championship, then proceeded to tie the highest placement ever at NCAAs with a fourth-place finish. The last time the men’s program finished fourth was in 1955 and its last back-to-back reign among the ACC was in 1984 and ’85.
NC State additionally sent four swimmers to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, which was highlighted by Ryan Held winning gold with Team USA’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Scouting Wisconsin:
Last season Wisconsin’s men finished 18th while its women took 21st at the NCAA Championships.
Over the summer, the Badgers had two athletes represent their respective countries at the Rio Olympics, as Cal-Berkley transfer Cierra Runge helped Team USA’s 4x200m freestyle relay win gold and Matt Hutchins competed for New Zealand in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.
The men head into the weekend with a 0-2 dual meet record after falling to Auburn and Minnesota, two programs that finished in the top 20 at last year’s NCAAs. The women are 1-1 so far this season after earning a win over No. 16 Minnesota in their last time out.
Promotions:
Friday
– T-shirts to first 100 students in the doors
– Papa Johns to first 100 students in the doors
– Student Wolfpack Club Event
Saturday
– Free Bojangles to fans (while supplies last)
Courtesy of NC State Athletics
