Swimming and diving looks to continue win streak against UNC

Drew McNatton, Correspondent • January 24, 2018

Freshman Anton Ipsen competes in the 1,000-yard freestyle during NC State’s meet with rival UNC-Chapel Hill Jan. 31, 2015, at the Casey Aquatic Center. Ipsen finished first in the event with a time of 8:55.70. The No. 8 Wolfpack men’s team remained undefeated, beating the No. 20 Tar Heels 180-118. The No. 12 women’s team just barely missed topping the No. 5 Tar Heel women 146.5-134.5.

NC State’s swimming and diving team will face off against UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday in Chapel Hill in the men’s sixth dual meet of the season and the women’s eighth.

In the CSCAA coaches’ poll the NC State men’s team is ranked No. 3 while UNC is unranked in the men’s poll. As for the women however, NC State ranks No. 14, ahead of UNC’s No. 21.

NC State’s men’s team so far this season is undefeated in their five dual meets while UNC sits at 3-4 so far. As for the women, NC State sits at 3-4 and has managed to win just one dual meet on the road this year against Wisconsin. The Tar Heel women are 4-3 in dual meets this season.

If looking at top times and scores for each event for these two schools is any indication for how this meet will go, it looks very good for the Wolfpack as it has the better performance in all but two events: the 100-yard breaststroke and the one-meter dive. As for the women, the two schools are very even and it appears to be more of a toss-up, but times on a sheet can be very different than the times these swimmers may post when facing a bitter rival.

Key swimmers in this meet for the Wolfpack men could be seniors Ryan Held and Anton Ipsen as well as juniors Justin Ress and Andreas Vazaios. Ress, Held and Ipsen just need to continue on the level they have been and the Pack should be in good shape, Vazaios, however, is the men’s best shot at winning the 100-yard breaststroke which in a close meet could become a deciding factor.

Senior Hannah Moore, sophomore Ky-Lee Perry and freshman Julia Poole are the women’s best chances to get first place, which is the pivotal possession in events. If they can succeed and win at least a race each, they will give the Pack a very good chance to come away with a victory and reach .500 in dual meets on the season.

The Wolfpack men are looking for their fourth-straight victory against the Tar Heels on Friday while the women look for their third.

A win at UNC would be very good for the Wolfpack; the men would continue their dominate tear this season as they have already knocked off defending champion Texas, while the women could bounce back from a tough loss against Virginia and end their four dual meet losing streak dating all the way back to November.

A win would roll nicely into the Carolina College Nike Invite meet in early February and the ACC championship meet which beings mid-February.