North Carolina State University Athletics
2003-04 Men's Swimming and Diving Outlook
10/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
Oct. 16, 2003
The 2004 NC State men's swimming & diving program is focused on rekindling the tradition of the teams before it. A program that has produced over 60 All-Americans over time, NC State has found the coach that will return the Wolfpack to national prominense in Brooks Teal.
Teal and his staff are dedicated to putting the Pack in the fast lane all season long, and are excited about its probability for producing champions this season.
"We return an experienced group this season, as well as all of our major point scorers from last year's squad," says Teal. "We are confident in our chances for the season and feel that we have a chance to move into the top tier of finishers at the ACC Champships."
This season could be a major stepping stone in returning the program to the top 20 in the nation. With a plethora of talent, the team anticipates sending a number of men to the NCAA Championships this spring.
Sprint Freestyle
Despite joining the squad last January, Cullen Jones emerged as the league's fastest freshman and contributed valuable points in the 50-yard freestyle at the ACC Championships. After a full year of training with Coach Teal and his staff, Jones has continually worked to make improvements on his times and should again contend for the conference championship.
"Cullen was sensational last season," says Teal. "Splitting the 200 medley in 19 seconds was amazing, but those are the types of performances he is capable of making."
The sprint group also returns Scott Dettloff, Justin Smith, Kevin Devine and John Hudson, all of whom add substantial quality depth to the group.
"We are fortunate to have a great group of sprinters and we hope to make the most of their abilities and skills come championship season," Teal says.
Mid-Distance
The Pack hopes to make monumental improvements in the mid-distance freestyle events.
"We've definitely got to improve before we can contend on a conference level," says Teal. "We have the right personel; the group has talent."
John Hudson will lead the group. As a freshman, he prduced a number of competitive times late in the season.
Justin Smith and Jack Deal also serve with the potential to score during championship season. Rob Terrell may also step into position and put in strong times throughout the season.
Distance
 Pete Pessagno is one of the conference's top distance freestylers heading into the season.  |
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Pessagno had a solid finish in the 1650 at the ACC Championships in 2003, turning in the team's top performance in the event. Deal and Nixon were consistent scorers during the duals season, both of whom have showed improvements in the off season. Entering the season, Deal is in the best shape of his career.
Seth Hoffman and Billy Booth also have the potential to contribute points throughout the year.
Backstroke
A year ago, Steve Cowling emerged as a great young talent in the backstroke, and posted the league's fastest time in the 100 at the championships. Cowling is expected to return in 2004 as one of the top contenders for a championship in the backstroke.
Rob Terrell is also expected to do some special things this season. Andy Bauman is back and has an intense desire to improve. Cristian Rojas should finish his career in style and turn in a number of solid swims throughout the season.
 Sophomore Andy Bauman is looking for a breakout season in 2004. |
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Instead of having an advertised one-two punch of Brian Pursley and Rob Yeager, the Wolfpack got a special third in Rick Scott last season. The trio comes together to create one of the conference's deepest breaststroke contingents.
"We knew what Brian and Rob were capable of," says Teal, "but Rick's progress throughout the season really impressed us. We anticipate great things from the group this year."
Pursley and Yeager have placed themselves on the Wolfpack's all-time top-10 performance lists. Yeager's time of 2:00.58 in the 200 stands as the second best mark in school history, and his name appears twice more on the list. Pursley holds two of the top three times in the 100, with his best time of 55.47 coming last fall.
"Brian and Rob are two of the nation's finest breaststrokers," Teal continues. "We'll rely on them heavily throughout the season and are really excited about their postseason chances in the ACC Championships and at NCAAs."
Butterfly
Kevin Devine, a two-time ACC finalist, posted a career-best time at the ACC Championships a year ago. The coaching staff expects him to shave more time this season.
"Kevin is a legitimate contender in the sprint fly," says Teal. "As he makes his workouts more consistent, as well as gain strength, he'll drop time."
Scott Dettloff finished the 2003 strong and enters the season in position to score valuable points in duals and the championships. The coaching staff believes he will have a breakout season in the fly and contend for a high finish at the ACC Championships.
Cullen Jones, Andy Bauman and Justin Smith will supply depth to an event that was shallow a year ago. Expect to see more of the members of the Wolfpack in the scoring heats at the championships this spring.
Individual Medley
The squad is intent on making dramatic improvements in the IM this season. Two men scored in the 200 at the championships last season, but no one qualified for the scoring heats of the 400. That is expected to change this season.
"We have circled this event and explained how important it is that we score," says Teal. "We have an experienced group heading the way in the IM and anticipate a strong showing throughout the season."
Chris Nixon and Cristian Rojas are expected to pace the Pack, while getting strong support from Steve Cowling and Rob Yeager.
Relays
The Wolfpack made the most of its scoring opportunities in the relay events last season, and hopes to have more success in 2004.
The 200 medley group of Steve Cowling, Brian Pursley, Kevin Devine and Cullen Jones finished the season ranked in the top 20 nationally. All four return and are expected to produce similar results.
"We feel this quartet has a chance to rewrite the NC State ad ACC record books," says Teal. "The group has worked hard and wants to be able to claim an ACC Championship this season."
The team has a bevy of talent to choose from for the freestyle events.
"With the depth the team possesses in distance, there isn't any reason we shouldn't improve in the 800," Teal reasons. "We are really going to concentrate on our relays this season and hope to score high at the conference level."
Diving
Despite returning only one scorer from last year's championships, the Wolfpack expects great things, as usual, from John Candler's diving corps.
T.J. Ferguson gained a lot of experience and is ready to take his performance to the next level. He was an ACC finalist on the three-meter, and produced valuable points during duals all season.
The Pack landed one of the nation's premier diving prospects in Vitor Assuncio.
"Vitor could very well be the next great diver in a long line produced by Candler," says Teal.
Assuncio was a finalist in the Junior PanAmerican Championships in September, and was also a team captain for the squad.
"Vitor brings international experience and a great sense of leadership to the squad. We are excited about his talent and expect to see great things from him early in his career."
