The No. 22 N.C. State men’s swimming and diving sent nine athletes to Indianapolis, Ind. to compete in the 2013 NCAA Championships.
“We’re excited to get the men’s NCAA Championships started,” head coach Braden Holloway said. “We have nine talented student-athletes ready to represent N.C. State well. The goal is to put some points on the board and have a good showing.”
Senior Brandon Kingston; juniors Ian Bishop, Jonathan Boffa, Barrett Miesfeld and Matt Thomas; sophomores Michael Camper, Christian McCurdy and David Williams and freshman Simonas Bilis and represented the Wolfpack.
On Thursday March 28, the action began with the Wolfpack finishing in the top-16 of two relays events to earn a pair of honorable mention All-American honors. The Wolfpack scored a total of 24 points and ended the day ranked No. 12 among participating teams.
“We had a pretty good first day at the NCAA Championships,” Holloway said. “The guys swam with a lot of heart and made some adjustments from this morning’s sessions. Congratulations to the new All-Americans and we look forward to adding more as the weekend continues.”
Bilis, Boffa, Thomas and Williams teamed up to record a time of 1:18.05. In the finals, the group posted a time of 1:18.41 to finish 12th and score 10 points for the Wolfpack. The No. 12 finish also earned honorable mention All-America honors for the members of the relay team.
Bilis and Boffa also competed in the 50-meter freestyle. Bilis turned in a time of 19.88 in the prelims, while Boffa stopped the clock at 19.93.
In the 400-meter medley relay, Camper, Bishop, Barrett and Boffa combined to record a time of 3:09.20 in the prelims to qualify for the finals session. The quartet was clocked at 3:08.52, claiming honorable mention All-America honors.
”The 400 medley relay to end the night was a big stepping stone for the guys for the weekend,” Holloway said. “They roared back to take second in that heat and I think that was huge.”
Camper, a sophomore from Fredericksburg, Va., broke the school record in the 100 backstroke with his lead-off split time of 47.75. The mark broke Holloway’s previous school record of 47.77, which stood for 13 years.
“We’re real proud of him for breaking the school record and it’s a big accomplishment,” said Holloway.
N.C. State retuned to the Natatorium at Indiana University March 29 for day two of the NCAA Championships.
N.C. State scored points in the 800 freestyle relay, the last event of the night. Boffa, Bilis, Kingston, and Williams combined to set a new Wolfpack record in 6:22.53 and finish in ninth place.
Junior Barrett Miesfeld claimed first team All-America honors at the 2013 NCAA Championships in the 100 butterfly, headlining NC State’s performance Friday afternoon.
“Congratulations to our team for concluding the second day on a great note in the 800 freestyle relay,” said head coach Braden Holloway. “We just missed the top-eight podium, but I’m proud of those guys from coming back and racing hard.”
Miesfeld, the 2013 ACC Champion in the 100-meter butterfly, broke his own school record at the NCAA Championships with a time of 46.16 in the preliminaries to advance to the finals. The Tucson, Ariz., native proceeded to break the record once again in the finals session with a 46.14 time, to finish seventh and claim first team All-America honors.
“Unbelievable day for Miesfeld,” said Holloway. “His work ethic and dedication has definitely paid off for him. He’s put so much work into achieving his goal and it’s great to see it come to fruition.”
In the 200-meter medley relay, Camper, Bishop, Miesfeld and Williams teamed up to post a time of 1:26.82 in the prelims, narrowly missing qualifying for the finals. Bishop, the ACC Champion in the 100-meter breaststroke, took part in the event at the championships, stopping the clock at 53.57. Freshman Christian McCurdy competed in the 400-meter individual medley, touching the wall at 3:53.39.
The Wolfpack ended the second day in 13th with 54 points, the highest point total of participating ACC schools.
On March 30 the Pack concluded the 2013 NCAA Championships with 74 points to finish 15th Saturday night at the IU Natatorium. The finish was the highest for the Wolfpack since the 1978-79 season (11th) and the best among ACC schools competing.
“Words cannot describe how proud we are of these guys,” Holloway said. “The dedication, the vision and the drive to never stop believing in what they could do at the NCAA Championships showed in their efforts. These guys came together and put their goals in front of each other and worked towards them.”
The Wolfpack ended the night with a second place finish in the consolation finals of the 400-meter freestyle relay. Bilis, Williams, Thomas and Boffa teamed up to record a time of 2:52.45, earning honorable mention All-America honors. The quartet swam a time of 2:53.20 in the preliminaries to advance to the finals session.
Boffa swam a time of 42.85 in the preliminary rounds of the 100-meter freestyle to finish among the top-16 competitors to qualify for the finals. In the finals session, the junior from Verona, Italy, stopped the clock at 43.00 to record the third-best time in the consolation finals and earn six points towards the team’s score. Boffa also claimed honorable mention All-America honors with his finish in the finals.
“Congratulations to Boffa on his All-America honor,” said Holloway. “He’s worked so hard to make it to the NCAA Championships this year after a learning experience at the championships last year.”
Freshman Christian McCurdy competed in the 200-meter butterfly, touching the wall with a time of 1:45.50 in the prelims. Junior Ian Bishop took part in the 200-meter breaststroke, but was disqualified for an illegal downward kick.
”We couldn’t be more proud of the work that the guys have put in to finish among the top-15 at the NCAA Championships,” Holloway added.
