Wolfpack Wrap Up Competition at ACC Championships

Saturday, February 21

Atlanta, GA

Prelims: 9:30 a.m. | Finals: 5:31 P.M.

NC State

ACC Swimming Championships

Wolfpack Wrap Up Competition at ACC Championships

2/21/2026 11:45:00 PM | Swimming

ATLANTA, GA - After seven days of championship racing in Atlanta, the NC State Wolfpack closed out the 2026 ACC Championships (Feb. 15–21) with a collection of records, medals and historic performances, highlighted by a dominant final day in the pool.

The Wolfpack men powered their way to a third-place finish overall with 973 points, compiling an impressive medal haul of seven gold, four silver and four bronze medals across the week. The women placed fifth with 851.5 points, earning one gold medal and three silver medals in a highly competitive field.

Erika Pelaez opened the morning by winning her heat of the 200 backstroke in record-setting fashion. Her preliminary swim marked the fastest 200 backstroke prelim time in program history, and her 1:49.59 performance ranks fourth all-time at NC State. Pelaez advanced as the top seed into the A-final. Leah Shackley followed with a strong 1:50.90 swim to win her heat, while every Wolfpack woman entered in the 100 freestyle earned a second swim, advancing to the evening session.

On the men's side, the record book was rewritten-twice. Kaii Winkler blasted to a 41.03 in the 100 freestyle, setting a new school record and breaking a long-standing mark previously held by Ryan Held. Just one heat later, Quintin McCarty went even faster, clocking a 40.88 to seize the school record for himself and etch his name atop the program leaderboard.

Fifth-year standout Arsenio Bustos, already the school-record holder in the 200 breaststroke, secured a lane in the A-final with a 1:53.25 prelim swim.

When the lights came on, the Wolfpack delivered. Emma Hastings turned in a gritty mile swim, finishing fourth while dropping 20 seconds from her season best. Hastings, along with Tam van Selm and Katherine Helms, all recorded top performances in the evening session.

Max Carlsen struck gold in the men's mile, touching the wall in 14:32.68 for a personal best and the fifth-fastest time in program history. The victory marked Carlsen's second gold medal of the week and underscored his emergence as one of the conference's premier distance swimmers.

Bustos added to his medal tally, earning silver in the 200 breaststroke with the second-fastest performance of the night, his second individual ACC medal of the championships.

Pelaez capped her outstanding week with a silver medal in the 200 backstroke, her second silver of the meet. Her finals performance moved her into third all-time in program history in the event.

The momentum carried into the relays. The women's 400 freestyle relay team shattered the school record with a 3:09.71 performance in the morning, setting the stage for a historic finale.

The NC State men's 400 freestyle relay team, owners of the fastest time in the NCAA all season, closed the meet in dominant fashion. The quartet captured gold in 2:43.53, setting school, pool and meet records in the process.

By week's end, the Wolfpack men had established themselves as one of the nation's elite sprint and relay programs, while the women demonstrated depth and upward trajectory with multiple record-breaking swims and podium finishes.

From individual breakthroughs to historic relay performances, NC State's final day in Atlanta embodied resilience, speed and championship pedigree, sending the Wolfpack into the postseason with momentum firmly on their side.

ACC Records: