NC State
Nike Cup Invitational
PackSwimDive Men Capture Team Title at Nike Cup Invitational
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
Complete Results
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- After trailing behind Tennessee the first two days of the Nike Cup Invitational, the sixth-ranked NC State men's swimming and diving team had an impressive day three showing to claim the team title of the Nike Cup Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The men's squad's victory of 1521 points inside the Maurice J. Koury Natatorium marked its fifth straight win of the season to remain undefeated.
The women's team finished third, respectively, with 2059 points behind Tennessee and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Holloway's Statement
"Overall it was a good team experience and competition for us- both the men and women fought hard all weekend and I saw a lot of positives to take away from the meet. Tonight we got into a good rhythm with a lot of positive energy and support for one another."
"There were several women that had great performances- particularly Alexia Zevnik and Krista Duffield. Alexia had a breakthrough in two events and Krista, a true freshman, really stepped up in the 400 free relay tonight to help get the win in the `A' final.
"For the guys it was a back-and-forth battle with UNC-Chapel Hill today. It came down to the `A' and `B' relays to determine who was going to win the meet and I'm very proud of our guys for giving it their all to win both relays. It was a great team victory for the men, everyone played their part and I'm excited for us to get back to work and capitalize on the great performance from this weekend."- Braden Holloway, head coach
Radman's Recap
On Rachel Mumma's Nike Cup Showing
"Rachel (Mumma) showed true signs of a champion this weekend; she battled through some demons to have a great showing in the three-meter dive and an impressive school record breaking performance in the one-meter dive. She shows great promise with her talent and competitive edge, and it is apparent she has the determination to be the best."- Yahya Radman, head diving coach
Record Breaker
Freshman Anton Ipsen broke his second record of the invitational Saturday in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 15:04.71. Olympian and All-American Dan Harrigan set the record previously in 1978. Ipsen also broke the 500 free school record Thursday, which was previously set by teammate Alex Hamilton last season.
Wolfpack Relays
The team of Alexia Zevnik, Ashlyn Koletic, Krista Duffield and Riki Bonnema won the women's 400 freestyle relay event swimming a time of 3:18.15, while the quartet of Ryan Held, Simonas Bilis, Andreas Scheillerup and David Williams won the men's 400 free relay with a time of 2:53.80.
Back It Up
Zevnik and Hennessey Stuart both placed second in the 200 backstroke, as Zevnik swam a time of 1:56.12 and Stuart finished with a time of 1:43.66.
Freestyle Watch
-Bilis garnered first place honors in the men's 100 free with a time of 43.21 to capture the top title in all three freestyle sprint events at the Nike Cup.
-Bonnema and Zevnik finished second and third in the women's 100 free, both breaking 50 seconds for the first time in the 2014-15 season to post NCAA `B' standard times.
Fly Into The Sky
Christian McCurdy swam a time of 1:45.38 to place third in the men's 200 fly.
Wolfpack Improvement
28 swimmers and four relay teams recorded top times for the 2014-15 season on day three of the Nike Cup Invitational. The `Wolfpack Top Times' consists of the top five times in a given season for each individual event, and the top three times in relay events.
Postseason Focus
In addition to Bonnema and Zevnik, three more NC State swimmers recorded NCAA `B' standard marks on the final day of the Nike Cup Invitational.
Ryan Held, 100 free, 44.20
Anton Ipsen, 1650 free, 15:04.71
Matt O'Donnel, 1650 free, 15:28.73
Up Next
The NC State swimming and diving team will return to action Dec. 4-6 when it competes at the Winter National Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.
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