Erika Pelaez, Leah Shackley Shine as NC State Leads Georgia
Fab freshmen Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley won two individual events each on the first day of Georgia’s Swimapalooza, which NC State leads at the halfway point.
The Wolfpack women’s team holds a 119-67 edge over the Bulldogs, while the NC State men lead, 128-58. The first day in Athens drew more than 750 fans to the Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Pelaez and Shackley have been sensational all season, and that continued Friday. Shackley split 22.56 in fly to help the team of Kennedy Noble, Grace Sheble and Casaundra Moses to a win in the 200 medley relay in 1:36.66. Pelaez won the 200 free in 1:44.20, winning by 1.35 seconds. Shackley followed with a win in the 100 backstroke, going 50.22 to best Noble by a clean second.
Pelaez returned to win the 100 free in 47.81. Shackley’s time of 51.08 was tops in the 100 butterfly, with teammate Tyler Driscoll second. Pelaez got to the wall first for a third time by splitting 21.35 in the 200 free relay, joining Lily Christianson, Moses and Lindsey Immel to win in 1:28.52, edging Georgia by .25 seconds.
Christianson set the program record in the 100 individual medley, going 54.94 to edge Georgia’s Ieva Maluka by nine hundredths of a second. Christianson was the runner-up to Driscoll’s 21.88 in winning the 50 free. Sheble led a 1-2-3 Wolfpack result in the 100 breast in 1:00.52.
Georgia’s only win of the first day was via Rachel Stege, who went 4:37.02. She led the Bulldogs in a 1-2-3, with Abby McCulloh second and Dune Coetzee third. Stege also finished second in the 200 free. Marie Landreneau was second in the 100 free for Georgia.
NC State also saw its men’s 100 IM record rewritten, courtesy of Sam Hoover’s time of 47.20, more than a second clear of Daniel Diehl in a 1-2 result. Hoover was one of six winners from the Wolfpack. Quintin McCarty turned the tide for NC State with a podium sweep in the 50 free, getting to the wall first in 18.22. David Betlehem’s 4:16.62 paced a similar sweep in the 500 free.
Wolfpack Country 💪
Christianson and Hoover both set the school record in the 100IM!!!!#GoPack🐺 pic.twitter.com/E0yaSOHzqS
— NC State Swimming & Diving (@packswimdive) November 9, 2024
Jerry Fox won the 100 free in 42.26. Second was Kaii Winkler, who was also second in the 200 free. Luke Miller won the 100 fly in 45.53. McCarty and Miller were on both winning relays.
Georgia started strong, with Tomas Koski winning the 200 free in 1:31.93. Ruard van Renen followed with a 45.03 to win the 100 back. Teammate Wesley Ng was third in that event and second in the 100 fly.
.png "ACC Swimming - logo"){kind=logo}