North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Swimming and Diving Prepped for NCAAs
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
Championship Information
RALEIGH, N.C.- After three weeks of hard work back in Raleigh, the NC State women's swimming and diving team will head to Greensboro, N.C., for its final meet of the season- the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
NC State will co-host the event with the Greensboro Aquatic Center, held inside GAC on March 19-21.
Riki Bonnema, Kayla Brumbaum, Krista Duffield, Ashlyn Koletic, Natalie Labonge, Rachel Muller, Rachel Mumma, Lauren Poli and Alexia Zevnik will represent the NC State women at the national level.
Holloway's Statement
"The ladies have had a pretty good season- we had a good regular season with a lot of great competition throughout. We prepared ourselves well for ACCs and finished fifth. Even though we wanted to finish higher we still had a lot of positives to take away from the meet.
"With this being the last meet of the season, our first and most important goal is to have fun. Greensboro is a familiar place for us; we've swam there several times and will have a lot of fans coming to support us, which is really exciting. We want to capitalize on the opportunities available to us at this meet. We have set out a point total goal to reach and will continue to circle back to that goal throughout the three days."- Braden Holloway, head coach
Last Time Out
The women finished fifth at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship on Feb. 18-21 in Atlanta.
Bonnema became the first female individual swimmer to earn a conference title in the Braden Holloway era, as she claimed the gold in the 50 freestyle.
The Wolfpack's 200 and 400 free relay teams also took gold medals, giving NC State a total of six medals earned over the four-day span. Bonnema finished third in the 100 free, while Alexia Zevnik took the runner-up spot in the 100 and 200 backstroke.
Mumma represented the Pack at the Zone B Championships March 9-11, earning a spot in all three diving events at the NCAA Championships. She finished fifth in the one-meter competition to earn a spot at the national championship, and finished 10th on platform and 12th in the three-meter competition.
Key Swims to Watch
The 200 and 400 freestyle relay squads will look to continue the immense progress they have made throughout the 2014-15 campaign. Both Wolfpack relays hold top-8 seeds amongst the field at the national championship.
Bonnema, a sprint free specialist, has made a name for herself in her respective events, and will look to continue to shine at the national level. She holds the eighth-fastest time in the country in the 50 free and is the fastest female swimmer in ACC history in the event.
The junior is also an integral part of the relays that the Pack takes much pride in. The women's 200 free relay has won the ACC title the past three years, and Bonnema has been a member of all three.
Zevnik has maintained a consistent stature throughout the season, and made an impact for the team at the conference championship. She holds top 20 times in the 100 and 200 backstroke, with potential to continue the progress she has made within the last few months.
Fan Information
For details about the championship as well as links to live results and live streaming for each session, fans can refer to the NCAA Championship Page.
Each day will begin with a preliminary session at 11 a.m., followed by a finals session each day at 7 p.m.
