North Carolina State University Athletics
2005-06 Wolfpack Men's Swimming Outlook
10/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
Oct. 5, 2005
Raleigh, N.C. - After winning three dual meets in 2004-05, the men's swimming and diving team is poised to up the record in 2005-06. Don't let the three wins distract you from the bigger picture, one that saw head coach Brooks Teal's squad send four swimmer to the NCAA Championships, win two individual medals and set and ACC record in winning the 200 medley relay at the ACC Championships as well. With nearly the entire scoring team returning, hopes are high in 2005-06.
"Our men are very excited and expectations are very high," Teal said. "We have a strong senior class and a ton of talent and I know we can break through on the ACC level if the pieces fall in place."
SPRINT FREESTYLE
Leading the strong senior class is Cullen Jones, an elite sprinter who broke on to the international scene this summer with a World University Games record swim in the 50 meter freestyle in a time of 22.17, a mere half-second off of the world record and one of the top-7 times in the world and second fastest in the U.S. in 2005. Jones will be counted on for valuable points in the 50 and 100 free throughout the season.
Peter Ranstead is an elite level sprinter as well, who redshirted last season after transferring to NC State. He swam an impressive time trial in the 50 free as he trained with the team in 2004-05, swimming a 20.19, a mark that would have ranked fifth in the conference and second behind Jones on the Wolfpack squad.
Add in the quality depth that John Hudson, Scott Dettloff, Dan Glauber, Kevin Velleca and freshman Thomas Merchant can provide and you are looking at the strongest and deepest area on the team.
MID-DISTANCE FREESTYLE
In the 200 freestyle, the group is led by Hudson and Glauber but is thin on experience overall. Look for three freshmen to contribute as Teal expects Andrew Lester, Andrew Pallace and Jon Vorpagel to make a splash here.
DISTANCE FREESTYLE
Seth Hoffman and Billy Booth lead the distance group in the 500 and 1650 freestyle, as both look to cap off their careers with a strong senior year. Freshmen Lester, Pallace and Cole Yarborough will add depth to the distance events for the Wolfpack.
BUTTERFLY
In the butterfly, senior Lyle Babcock leads this group and is the top returning flyer on the team. Dettloff and Jones can contribute here as well, with freshman Michael Hogg helping in the 100 and 200 with some much needed depth. Lester can contribute in the 200 fly during the dual meet season as the lineup permits.
BREASTSTROKE
Coming off of an outstanding summer, Dan Velez returns for his senior season as one of the top breaststroke threats in the conference and one of the best to ever swim for NC State. Velez won three medals at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, one of the largest international competitions in the world. His 55.15 in the 100 breast at the ACC Championships scored for the Wolfpack and was the second fastest time in school history.
Behind Velez will be team co-captain Rick Scott and Jack Roney. All three swimmers will see time in the 100 and 200 breast during the season.
BACKSTROKE
Steven Cowling is back. After being named team MVP as a freshman, Cowling missed his sophomore season after shoulder surgery and spent most of last season getting back into prime competitive shape. By the ACC Championships, his hard work showed. Cowling blew away the competition in the water in route to his first ACC Championship in winning the 100 backstroke. Not far behind was teammate Velleca, who finished second in the ACC. Kevin Barkley returns from injury and joins this group. All three will lead the 200 back as well.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
In the 200 IM, Cowling leads the way once again. Babcock, Roney, Scott and Velez will compete in the 200 as well, with the 400 IM team consisting of Hoffman, Lester and Yarborough.
MEDLEY RELAY
The Wolfpack return three of the four swimmers who made the NCAA Championships and set and ACC record in the 200 medley relay in 2005, as Velleca (back), Velez (breast) and Jones (free) will look to repeat their feat. Babcock could step into the fly spot, as could Dettloff, in which graduated Kevin Devine vacated. All in all, the medley relay is one of the strengths of the Wolfpack squad.
FREESTYLE RELAY
Strength is prevalent in the freestyle relays as well, as the 200 free team of Velleca, Cowling, Devine and Jones set a school record with a 1:19.79 at the ACC Championships. Ranstead, Dettloff and Hudson should all push for a spot and make the competition a positive for NC State.
DIVING
From the first mention of diving, coach Teal is instantly confident that the three freshmen divers - Austin Hampton, Alexander Dambley and Scott Blackwelder - will turn a liability last season into a strength in the new year. Teal and diving coach Mike Finneran expect Hampton and Dambley to finish among the top-8 divers in the ACC as freshman.
