North Carolina State University Athletics
2014-15 Swimming & Diving Preview: Butterfly
9/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
RALEIGH, N.C. - Last season, the NC State swimming & diving team posted strong results in the butterfly events, as a new school record was posted in each fly event on the men's and women's side. Head coach Braden Holloway and GoPack.com take a closer look at the 2014-15 version of the butterfly group.
Holloway's Take:

"For the men, I think butterfly is basically going to be the same as a year ago. We have several young guys that continue to get better," said head coach Braden Holloway. "We lost Barrett Miesfeld, an NCAA All-American, to graduation, so we have some shoes to fill, but I think the guys are ready to take another step.
"For the ladies, we have a couple of seniors that we lost to graduation that excelled in butterfly, but we brought in several girls to help. We have really helped ourselves out and have some good options in the fly events."
Men's Key Returners:
- Christian McCurdy returns for his junior campaign following a stellar season in 2013-14 and will be a key cog in the 200 butterfly for the squad. McCurdy is coming off a season, where he was ACC Champion and a first-team All-American in the event.
- After the graduation of Barrett Miesfeld, sophomore Soren Dahl enters the season as the leading candidate to lead the squad in the 100 fly. In just his first semester competing for State, Dahl qualified for the NCAA Championships and had the second-fastest time on the team in the 100 butterfly.
- John Newell returns for his senior season and has competed in the 100 and 200 butterfly events in his previous seasons. Last year, Newell scored points for NC State in the 100 and 200 butterfly events at the ACC Championships.
Men's Key Newcomers:
- Ryan Held, a freshman from Springfield, Ill., is slated to see competition in the 100 fly lineup this season for the Wolfpack. Held owns a personal-best time of 49.90 in the event.
Women's Key Returners:
- Despite losing a strong leader and the top time in the 100 butterfly, the women's squad returns four of their top five performers from a season ago. Among that group, Anne Leuthold, Natalie Labonge, Ashlyn Koletic and Lydia Jones scored points for the Wolfpack at the ACC Championships.
- In the 200 fly, Jones leads the way, as she notched a program record of 1:58.80 in the event as a freshman. In addition, the Pack returns Leuthold and Katelyn Linker.
Women's Key Newcomers:
- Yuri Nakano, a transfer from Indian River State College, will aid the squad in the 100 butterfly. The junior helped bring the 2013 & 2014 NJCCA National Championship to Indian River State College and captured the 2014 National Championship in the 100 fly. Nakano also will be a key component in the 200 butterfly this season
- Krista Duffield and Lauren Rhodes are also slated to see competition in the 100 fly. Duffield owns a personal best time of 55.04 in the event, while Rhodes holds a personal best top time of 55.47 in the 100 butterfly.
Up Next

The Wolfpack will open its 2014-15 regular season at the All-North Carolina Invitational, which will be held in Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 3-4.
