North Carolina State University Athletics
2014-15 Swimming & Diving Preview: Freestyle and Medley Relays
9/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State swimming & diving team is coming off a season in which the squad enjoyed tremendous success in relay events at both the conference and national levels. Head coach Braden Holloway and GoPack.com take a closer look at the 2014-15 version of the freestyle and medley relay group.
Holloway's Take:

"Relays are fun," said head coach Braden Holloway. "Our team likes doing them and expectations are getting a little higher each year, especially after the success we had in our relays last season."
2013-14 Men's Relay Pack Facts:

- At the 2014 ACC Championships, the men's squad won four of the five relays contested throughout the week, including the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relay, as well as the 200 medley relay. The squad finished second in the 400 medley relay.
- Four of the relay teams also earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, including the 400 and 800 freestyle relay, as well as the 200 and 400 medley relay.
Men's Key Returners:
- The Pack will return several key members of the freestyle relay teams. Three members of the 200 and 400 freestyle relay team from last season return for the 2014-15 campaign, as sophomore Simonas Bilis, Andreas Schiellerup and David Williams look to keep the freestyle relays a strength of the program. In addition to Bilis and Williams, Soren Dahl will look to build off a successful freshman season, as he swam the third-leg of the 800 freestyle relay that won the ACC Championship and earned All-American honors.
- The squad will return two members of the 200 medley team that earned All-American honors, as Schiellerup swam the backstroke leg of the event and Williams swam the freestyle leg.
2013-14 Women's Relay Pack Facts:

- The women's team won the 200 freestyle relay for the second straight year, as the squad utilized a young core.
- The Wolfpack women finished the season with All-American honors in three relays, including 200 and 400 freestyle relay, as well as the 200 medley relay.
Women's Key Returners:
- NC State returns the majority of the relay members this season, as Zina Grogg is the only member the relay teams lost to graduation.
- In the freestyle relay events, an event where the Wolfpack was young last season, the squad returns all members that competed at the ACC and NCAA Championhsips, including Riki Bonnema, who captured All-ACC honors in the 50 free and swam the anchor leg in the 200 and 400 freestyle relay events. In addition, Natalie Labonge returns for her sophomore season after she competed in each of the three freestyle relay events.
- In the medley relays, NC State returns three of four members in each event, including of the first-team All-American 200 medley relay team.
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.
