The swimming and diving team had a bittersweet meet this weekend, as it defeated Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon at the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center but had to bid farewell to their seniors. Family, friends, teammates and fans watched as seniors: Greg Baskwell, Dan Forsythe, Ben Mechak, Tyler Mills, Nick Schauer, Mike Seiferth, Jennifer Kopenitz, Amanda Panty, Nancy Radloff, Ashley Richter and Jessica Ward celebrated their Senior Day along with their victory over the Yellow Jackets.
“It was bittersweet and sad,” Richter said. “But it is nice to see all the hard worked paid off in the win.”
Richter and the rest of the Wolfpack women moved to 5-1 (2-1 ACC) with their 181-119 win over the Jackets. The men remain undefeated in the conference (5-0, 3-0 ACC) with a close win of 155-143.
The Pack finished with 17 first place finishes for the day, seven of which were earned by the men’s swimming team. The women on the other hand took nine first place finishes, with Kirstyn Shepler leading the charge taking first in the three-meter dive (252.30).
Also seeing success were the relay squads. Ian Bishop, Ivan Kopas, Joe Martin and Barrett Miesfeld defeated the Jackets with a 1:32.82 in the 200-yard medley relay, while Zina Grogg, Julianna Prim, Morgan Robertson and Jess Ward claimed the win for the women with a time of 1:46.01.
Allison Hendren, Marifrances Henley, Julianna Prim and Erica Walters with a time of 3:28.28, finished first in the 400-yard freestyle relay, while Conor Brennan, Brandon Kingston, Joe Martin and Barrett Miesfeld took first with a time of 3:03.35; .47 seconds faster than Tech’s relay team.
Coach Brooks Teal said that the enthusiasm and the determination he saw from his teams was excellent.
“The team put in a great effort,” Teal said. “There were some big swims in the second half for us to claim the victory.”
Senior Dan Forsythe earned first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.21, as well as placing third in the 200-yard breaststroke.
”It was pretty awesome to leave with a win,” Forsythe said. “There was more energy and emotions from not only the crowd but the team as well.”
Forsythe, who will be graduating in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, provided advice to his teammates prior to the match.
”Keep working and don’t give up,” Forsythe said. “Do not mess up either, because the end is near.”
This meet was the first for the Wolfpack since competing in the Georgia Tech Invitational held in Atlanta this past November. Although this was Senior Day, it was not the last meet for the Pack, as it still has four dual meets left to go until the ACC Championships.
The next meet for N.C. State will be Sunday, Jan. 23 against Clemson. But it will be held in Athens, Georgia at 10 a.m. due to facility issues at Clemson.
