North Carolina State University Athletics
Three Current Swimmers, Four Wolfpack Alumni Named to 2019-20 U.S. National Team
9/4/2019 10:40:00 AM | Swimming
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Seven current and former NC State swimmers will represent the Wolfpack on the 2019-20 USA Swimming National Team, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
Current Wolfpack student-athletes Katharine Berkoff, Eric Knowles and Makayla Sargent earned spots on the team for the next season, and NC State alumni Elise Haan, Ryan Held, Hannah Moore and Justin Ress also join them on the roster.
The Pack's seven swimmers qualified for the U.S. National Team after ending the summer with some of the best American times in their respective events. The roster is made up of the top six American swimmers in each individual Olympic event using the results of all USA Swimming or FINA-sanctioned meets from the 2019 calendar year.
Wolfpack U.S. National Team Members
Katharine Berkoff – 100 backstroke
Eric Knowles – 400 freestyle
Makayla Sargent – 400 IM
Elise Haan – 100 backstroke
Ryan Held – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Hannah Moore – open water
Justin Ress – 100 backstroke
Because of their role in coaching these NC State's athletes, head coach Braden Holloway, associate head coaches Mark Bernardino and Bobby Guntoro and assistant coaches Dan Kalupski and Paulina Ziolek were all named USA Swimming National Team coaches as well.
Following an incredible performance at the 2019 World University Games, Sargent earned a stop on the U.S. National Team for the first time in her career. The Bellport, N.Y., native lowered her own team record in the 400-meter individual medley as she picked up the win in the finals. Sargent dropped over two seconds to shave her lifetime best to 4:37.95.
Knowles is also a first-time national team member. He qualified for the roster in the 400-meter freestyle, an event in which he took fourth place at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships earlier this summer. After clocking a sub-3:50 mark for the first time in his career during the preliminary heats, Knowles dropped more time in the A final with a 3:48.34 that ranks second in team history.
Moore claimed a spot on the USA Swimming Open Water National Team for the second season in a row. Her summer was highlighted by her first-ever appearance at the FINA World Championships where she secured a bronze medal in the women's open water 5K. The Wolfpack alumna was the top finisher for Team USA in that event, clocking in at 57.58.0 for the podium finish.
Ress and Haan also make their second-straight appearances on the roster, both qualifying for the team in the 100-meter backstroke. Berkoff joined Haan on the women's side with a top-six time in the event.
Berkoff, Ress and Haan represented NC State and Team USA at the World University Games, and all three picked up podium finishes in the 100-meter backstroke races to come home from the international meet with medals.
Berkoff led the Wolfpack women's 1-2 punch in 59.29 to claim gold with a time that was a World University Games record. Haan followed closely behind in 59.62 for silver.
For the men, Ress finished on the 100-meter backstroke podium with a bronze medal. He broke the 54-second barrier in all three rounds of action with his best time in the event coming in at 53.47.
Held, who was an Olympian and multi-time NCAA champion during his career at NC State, qualified for the national team in both sprint freestyle events. The Springfield, Ill., native racked up gold medals in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle finals at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
His 100-meter freestyle win came in championship and U.S. open record-setting fashion with a 47.39 that ranks as the third-fastest American time in history. Held also went on to claim a victory in the 50-meter freestyle with a lifetime best of 21.87.
A full list of all swimmers and coaches for the 2019-20 U.S. National Team can be found here.
#GoPack | @packswimdive
Current Wolfpack student-athletes Katharine Berkoff, Eric Knowles and Makayla Sargent earned spots on the team for the next season, and NC State alumni Elise Haan, Ryan Held, Hannah Moore and Justin Ress also join them on the roster.
The Pack's seven swimmers qualified for the U.S. National Team after ending the summer with some of the best American times in their respective events. The roster is made up of the top six American swimmers in each individual Olympic event using the results of all USA Swimming or FINA-sanctioned meets from the 2019 calendar year.
Wolfpack U.S. National Team Members
Katharine Berkoff – 100 backstroke
Eric Knowles – 400 freestyle
Makayla Sargent – 400 IM
Elise Haan – 100 backstroke
Ryan Held – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Hannah Moore – open water
Justin Ress – 100 backstroke
Because of their role in coaching these NC State's athletes, head coach Braden Holloway, associate head coaches Mark Bernardino and Bobby Guntoro and assistant coaches Dan Kalupski and Paulina Ziolek were all named USA Swimming National Team coaches as well.
Following an incredible performance at the 2019 World University Games, Sargent earned a stop on the U.S. National Team for the first time in her career. The Bellport, N.Y., native lowered her own team record in the 400-meter individual medley as she picked up the win in the finals. Sargent dropped over two seconds to shave her lifetime best to 4:37.95.
Knowles is also a first-time national team member. He qualified for the roster in the 400-meter freestyle, an event in which he took fourth place at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships earlier this summer. After clocking a sub-3:50 mark for the first time in his career during the preliminary heats, Knowles dropped more time in the A final with a 3:48.34 that ranks second in team history.
Moore claimed a spot on the USA Swimming Open Water National Team for the second season in a row. Her summer was highlighted by her first-ever appearance at the FINA World Championships where she secured a bronze medal in the women's open water 5K. The Wolfpack alumna was the top finisher for Team USA in that event, clocking in at 57.58.0 for the podium finish.
Ress and Haan also make their second-straight appearances on the roster, both qualifying for the team in the 100-meter backstroke. Berkoff joined Haan on the women's side with a top-six time in the event.
Berkoff, Ress and Haan represented NC State and Team USA at the World University Games, and all three picked up podium finishes in the 100-meter backstroke races to come home from the international meet with medals.
Berkoff led the Wolfpack women's 1-2 punch in 59.29 to claim gold with a time that was a World University Games record. Haan followed closely behind in 59.62 for silver.
For the men, Ress finished on the 100-meter backstroke podium with a bronze medal. He broke the 54-second barrier in all three rounds of action with his best time in the event coming in at 53.47.
Held, who was an Olympian and multi-time NCAA champion during his career at NC State, qualified for the national team in both sprint freestyle events. The Springfield, Ill., native racked up gold medals in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle finals at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
His 100-meter freestyle win came in championship and U.S. open record-setting fashion with a 47.39 that ranks as the third-fastest American time in history. Held also went on to claim a victory in the 50-meter freestyle with a lifetime best of 21.87.
A full list of all swimmers and coaches for the 2019-20 U.S. National Team can be found here.
#GoPack | @packswimdive
Players Mentioned
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