North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Men's Swimming and Diving Ranked No. 24
12/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
Dec. 9, 2005
The College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has ranked the men's swimming and diving team at NC State in its latest poll. The Wolfpack (4-0 overall, 3-0 ACC) is undefeated on the season in dual meets and won the Terrapin Cup Invitational by a wide margin this fall. Wolfpack swimmers have placed a top-100 NCAA time in 12 of the 13 individual events and all five relays, and has dominated its opponents thus far. The smallest margin of victory was at Georgia Tech, a 134-107 NC State win.
The squad had wins over Duke (161-77), William & Mary (170-66), Virginia Tech (155-88) and the Yellow Jackets, and easily won the Terrapin Cup Invitational in College Park, Md., site of the 2006 ACC Championships.
The team is led by the talented Cullen Jones and the versatile Steven Cowling, and has received tremendous contributions from freshmen Andrew Lester and diver Austin Hampton along the way.
Jones, Cowling, Peter Ranstead, Lester, Cole Yarborough, Kevin Velleca, Dan Velez, Jack Roney and Lyle Babcock have all posted top-100 times in the NCAA so far this season. Jones, who is second nationally in the 50 free with a 19.35, leads the ACC in the 50 free and 100 free and is third in the 100 butterfly. Velleca leads the conference in the 100 backstroke with a 48.79.
The team will not compete again until a January 7 trip to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks. The spring portion of the schedule only gets tougher, with a trip to No. 10 Tennessee to close the season and a meeting in Chapel Hill with No. 23 North Carolina. The men will host ACC foes Maryland and Clemson as well.
