Vazaios defends 200 fly title, Pack finishes fourth at NCAAs

Alec Sawyer, Assistant Sports Editor • March 30, 2019

Members of the men’s swimming team jump off the starting blocks for the hypoxic challenge, a 50-yard underwater kick. This was one of many events held at the fourth annual Wolfpack Games held on Friday, Sept. 28 In the Casey Aquatic Center.

Led by a gold medal from senior Andreas Vazaios in the 200-yard butterfly Saturday night, the NC State men’s swimming and diving team finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, the fourth straight year the Pack has placed fourth.

Vazaios successfully defended his national championship in the 200 fly, setting a new ACC record with a time of 1:38.57 to take home the Pack’s only gold medal of the meet. NC State ended the four-day championship event with 307 team points, 78.5 behind third-place Indiana.

NC State also captured a silver medal in the 400-yard medley relay Saturday, as the team of senior Jacob Molacek, junior Coleman Stewart, freshman Nyls Korstanje and senior Justin Ress finished in 2:46.25 in the final event of the meet. In total, the Wolfpack finished the week with eight podium finishes and 22 All-American honors.

After winning two silver medals on Friday, Stewart garnered All-American honors with a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke. Stewart’s time of 1:38.81 put him just .16 seconds back of a third podium finish in the meet. Senior Noah Hensley also competed in the 200 back, finishing 25th in prelims with a swim of 1:41.45.

Saturday evening’s session kicked off in the 1,650-yard freestyle, where two members of the Pack achieved honorable mention All-American status. Junior Jack McIntyre placed 11th with a time of 14:41.80, while sophomore Eric Knowles wrapped up a very successful NCAA Championships with a 16th place finish. Knowles also picked up All-American status in the 500 free Thursday night.

Sophomore Gil Kiesler also participated in the mile swim, placing 30th with a time of 14:57.71.

Ress ended his individual NCAA career with an All-American finish in the 100-yard backstroke, placing seventh in the main final with a time of 42.00. Ress qualified for the final with the sixth fastest preliminary time.

Korstanje had an honorable mention All-American finish in the 100 back as well, placing fifth in the ‘B’ final with a time of 42.49. The Pack almost had three finals participants in the 100 back, as Molacek came up one spot short of the finals with a 17th-place prelim swim.

Senior James Bretscher also nearly made a final Saturday, as he placed 18th in the 200 fly prelims to come two spots away from a trip to the finals.