Wolfpack Travel to UNC for Tobacco Road Dual

Friday, January 16

Chapel Hill, NC

Diving: 4 PM | Swimming: 5 PM

NC State

University of North Carolina

1/15/2026 12:00:00 PM | Swimming

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 6/7 NC State Wolfpack will open its 2026 campaign on Friday, Jan. 16, traveling to Chapel Hill for a Tobacco Road showdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Maurice J. Koury Natatorium.

Admission to the meet is free. Diving events are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., followed by swimming at 5 p.m. ET. Live coverage will be available on WatchESPN, with real-time updates provided via MeetMobile.

Friday's contest marks the first dual meet of the season for the Wolfpack and will be the team's lone road dual of the 2025–26 regular season. The most recent meeting between the two programs took place last January in Raleigh during the 50th anniversary celebration of NC State's women's swimming program. With a win on Friday, the Wolfpack women would secure their 11th consecutive victory over the Tar Heels, while the men's team would extend its streak to 12 straight wins in the series.

NC State enters the matchup boasting the nation's fastest men's 400 freestyle relay this season. The quartet of Kaii Winkler, Jerry Fox, Daniel Diehl, and Hudson Williams posted a time of 2:45.16 during the Wolfpack's midseason meet in November. Freshman Eneli Jefimova also leads the nation in the 50-yard breaststroke, clocking a time of 26.30 at NC State's first home meet of the season, the Raleigh Rumble.

The Wolfpack additionally owns several top-three national times this season: