North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: A Wolfpack Swimming Family Tradition
12/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
BY TIM PEELER
That wasn’t the greatest nickname for an 18-year-old senior, but NC State freshman swimmer Greg Baskwell is used to it that’s what happens when you are the youngest member in a swimming family.
He’s been following in his older sisters’ wakes practically his whole life and knows that part of his identity is being the little brother of Lindsay and Amy, the older sisters who preceded him on NC State’s swimming and diving team.
Lindsay is a former team captain who swam breast stroke events for the Wolfpack from 2001 until 2005. Amy completed her four years of eligibility earlier this year, after four years of competing in freestyle events. Amy is now working a full-time internship with the Wolfpack Club, learning about all facets of NC State’s athletic fundraising organization.
While none of them grew up NC State fans their father, Tim, grew up in
Lindsay initially chose to come to
“I am so glad I came,” Amy Baskwell said. “I would have missed out on making a lot of good memories with her. Swimming for a university is one thing, but being able to do it with a sibling, is definitely a lot neater.”
Greg, a late-bloomer at
“I didn’t really have a favorite school growing up,” he said. “Lindsay came here when I was about 12 years old, when I was really to young to care about colleges. But, with Lindsay and Amy both being here, my wardrobe kept getting redder and redder.
“I started to come to more and more events by the time Amy was a junior. I got familiar with the campus. I started to get to know the swimmers and the coaches. It was sort of a big family. The decision was pretty easy for me by my senior year.”
The youngest Baskwell is used to being part of a swimming family. Lindsay says the three siblings and their parents have spent the better part of the last two decades poolside waiting for the next heat to start.
“Pretty much everything we did was a family event,” said Lindsay Baskwell Rhodenbaugh, who lives in nearby Morrisville. “I can only imagine actually I don’t think I want to how much video tape our parents have of the three of us swimming.
“Swimming will always be a part of our [family’s] life. Just last weekend, Amy and I went to
Greg, as a freshman individual medley swimmer, still has his entire college career ahead of him, and Teal thinks his future is bright. He is still maturing physically, having not yet grown to the height of his parents and his sisters.
“But we know that potential is there,” Teal said. “Despite not having the physical maturity yet, he had a break-out year in high school with a lot of time-drops, which is kind of unusual. All four of his strokes are competitive. As he puts on more height and strength, there is no telling how much he could contribute to the team.”
For now, Greg is swimming in the individual medley. He recorded his best times of the season in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley in the Wolfpack’s most recent meet at Virginia Tech.
He believes by the time the ACC Championships roll around in March, he could score in the conference meet.
“With the time-drops that he had as a senior and how he has come along here, I don’t think he is wrong in that and having that as his goal,” Teal said.
Whatever Greg accomplishes in the water, however, he knows he will have a great support system poolside. His parents are fixtures at
“Even though I have been graduated for three years now, I still feel like there is a little part of me on the team,” Lindsay Baskwell Rhodenbaugh said.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
