North Carolina State University Athletics
Hayes, Holloway Honored with ACC Awards Following 2021-22 Campaign
4/8/2022 11:01:00 AM | Swimming
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Following the conclusion to another solid postseason run, the 2022 ACC champion NC State men's swimming and diving team collected yearly honors from the league, as announced on Friday afternoon.
Wolfpack rookie Aiden Hayes was named ACC Men's Freshman of the Year, and head coach Braden Holloway was named ACC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.
Hayes becomes the fifth men's swimmer in team history to be honored as the league's best freshman, joining Anton Ipsen (2015), Justin Ress (2016), Coleman Stewart (2017) and Nyls Korstanje (2019).
A native of Norman, Okla., Hayes began his collegiate career in the fall after being named Swimming World's Male High School Swimmer of the Year. In his first year with the Wolfpack, he was honored with three All-America citations in the 100-yard butterfly (seventh place), the 200-yard butterfly (honorable mention, 14th place) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (fourth place). He was the highest-placing ACC freshman at the NCAA Championships with his individual finish in the 100-yard butterfly and scored more points than any other men's rookie in the conference with his 15 points.
The national performance came after an impressive performance at the 2022 ACC Championships during which Hayes reached the championship final in both butterfly events and the B final in the 50-yard freestyle. His time at the conference meet was highlighted by a bronze medal in the 200-yard butterfly.
Hayes took over the No. 3 spot in program history in the 100-yard butterfly with his time of 44.75 at NCAAs and the No. 2 spot in the 200-yard butterfly with a 1:40.39 clocked at ACCs.
Holloway was recognized as the best men's swimming coach in the league for the eighth time in his career after winning the award seven seasons in a row from 2013 through 2020. He helped lead the Pack men to the ACC crown for the seventh time in the last eight years as the team led from start to finish through five days of conference action. Holloway's squad then tied its highest national finish in program history with fourth place to earn a team trophy.
He helped NC State's men orchestrate eight first-place finishes at the ACC Championships and 18 All-America citations. Most notably, he served as the primary coach for Kacper Stokowski, who won the national title in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA Championships with a time of 44.04.
Holloway's Wolfpack team is set up for continued success under his leadership. This year's freshman class was the top recruiting class in the nation coming into the year, and the team will return a slew of All-Americans and ACC champions for the 2022-23 campaign which will begin in the fall.
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