N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech

RALEIGH, North Carolina, January 17. SENIOR Austin Hampton crushed the school 3-meter dive record as the NC State men's and women's swimming and diving teams split with Georgia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 17. Hampton nailed a 393.60 for first place, besting the old school benchmark of 366.60 set by Victor Assuncao in 2004.

The record also serves as the new pool record at Casey Natatorium.

In team competition, the men fell 124-118, while the women came out on top 127-114. The Wolfpack men now stand at 4-2 (2-2 ACC), while the women improve to 4-3 (2-3 ACC). The Yellow Jackets' records now hold at 5-1 (2-1 ACC) for the men, and 4-5 (0-4 ACC) for the women.

Competition was fierce the whole way through on both the male and female sides. Every single swim and dive counted, with the final results being decided on the very last event of the day.

Stephen Mellor, Dan Forsythe, Taylor Goodwin and Conor Brennan got things started by taking second in the 400-medley relay with a second-place time of 3:24.56. Andrew Lester then won the 1000 freestyle with a 9:28.94, while Nick Brittis placed fourth on a 10:01.88. Mason McGee followed with a 1:40.40 to claim the 200 freestyle, while Gaites Brown (3rd, 1:42.95) and Andrew Keenan (5th, 1:43.83) offered solid contributions. Brennan swiped fourth in the 50 freestyle with a 21.24, as Lester (3:59.84) and Kevin Woodhull-Smith (4:04.32) took second and third respectively in the 400 IM. Lester's time in the 400 IM marked the third fastest on the Wolfpack roster this season.

Aside from Hampton's showcase performance in the 3-meter dive, Alex Dambly finished second on a 302.63 and Scott Blackerwelder's 231.53 was good for fifth. Hampton would later grab first in the 1-meter dive thanks to a 325.50, while Dambly (308.25) and Blackwelder (195.60) placed in the same spots at their previous dives.

Woodhull-Smith (1:53.17) and Mike Seiferth (1:54.54) took third and fourth in the 200 butterfly, while Brown (46.78), Keenan (47.33) and Brennan (47.88) placed second, fourth and fifth in the 100 freestyle. State then picked up three first-place finishes in a row with Mellor (1:48.24) taking the 200 backstroke, McGee (4:36.12) picking up the 500 freestyle and Forsythe (2:05.21) claiming the 200 breaststroke.

A second place finish in the 400 freestyle relay, however, would put the Pack just behind Georgia Tech in the final team tallies as Brown, Keenan, Goodwin and McGee posted a 3:05.71.

On the women's side, Erica Smith, Jessica Ward, Patrice Dason and Ashley Richter won the 400-medley relay with a 3:51.85 to put the Pack out in front at the onset of the day. Anna Linkenauger then placed second in the 1000 freestyle with a 10:25.00 while Maggie McEnerney (10:28.20) and Taryn Shelley (10:33.14) finished third and fifth. McEnerney and Shelley's times mark the second and third fastest on the team this season.

Lucy Lindsey wound up second in the 200 freestyle with a 1:53.70, while Brianna Grover's 1:54.74 was good for fifth overall. Meg Thompson (24.53), Dason (24.72) and Smith (24.83) then took second, fourth and fifth respectively in the 50 freestyle before Jen Kopenitz won the 400 IM on a 4:31.06. Maresa Like-Mathews (4:31.45) and Jessica McBroom (4:34.73) were just behind Kopenitz in the 400 IM, placing second and fourth.

Chelsea Ale placed second in the 1-meter dive with a 262.43, and Kristin Davies took third on a 257.93. Those roles were reversed in the 3-meter, with Davies (289.28) taking second and Ale (287.48) third. Ale's 1-meter mark is the second-best score in that event for the Pack this season.

Like-Mathews won the 200 butterfly with a 2:05.65, while McBroom took fourth (2:07.34). Dason (52.52), Lindsey (52.59) and Richter (52.68) finished second, third and fourth in the 100 freestyle, with Kopenitz (2:05.22) and Smith (2:07.22) claiming first and third in the backstroke. Linkenauger followed by winning the 500 freestyle on a 5:01.63, and Ward took first in the 200 breaststroke thanks to a 2:20.95.

Thompson, Richter, Grover and Lindsey guaranteed a victory for the Pack by winning the 400 freestyle relay with a 3:29.64.

NC State will return to the pool next Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Casey Natatorium. The men will take on East Carolina, while the women will face both East Carolina and Campbell. Action begins at 5 p.m.

Special thanks to N.C. State for contributing this report.

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