Texas Edges NC State in Intense Women’s Dual Meet; Nyls Korstanje Blasts 44.76 100 Fly
The most anticipated college dual meet of the day took place in Raleigh, where the North Carolina State women’s team hosted Texas, less than a year after the Wolfpack edged the Longhorns by 9.5 points for second place at the NCAA Championships. But in this dual meet showdown, Texas edged out NC State by a 156.5-to-143.5 margin. Meanwhile, the NC State men were also in action against UNC-Wilmington, a team now led by longtime NC State assistant Bobby Guntoro, and the Wolfpack won every event on the way to a 187-86 win.
Following a tough loss at Virginia last week, NC State women opened the competition against Texas with a nail-biting win in the 200 medley relay. The team of Katharine Berkoff, Sophie Hansson, Kylie Alons and Abby Arens took the win in 1:36.68, just ahead of the Texas foursome of Julia Cook, Anna Elendt, Olivia Bray and Bridget Semenuk in 1:36.95. The teams were basically dead-even on the back half, and Arens split 22.14 on the way home to barely pull ahead of Semenuk, who split a sizzling 22.24 herself.
In the women’s 1000 free, Texas claimed a 1-2 finish with Erica Sullivan touching in 9:49.25 and Evie Pfeifer coming in just behind at 9:52.00. Kelly Pash dominated the 200 free for Texas, winning in 1:46.68, but Abbey Webb, Julia Poole and Annabel Crush claimed the next three spots for the Wolfpack. Katharine Berkoff, competing on her 21st birthday, picked up the first individual win for NC State with a 51.63 in the 100 back, but Texas’ Anna Elendt beat defending NCAA champion Sophie Hansson of NC State in the 100 breast, 59.25 to 59.44.
In the women’s 200 fly, Arens was out well ahead of the field, but she had to fend off a blistering 28.93 final 50 split from Sticklen to win by 0.18, 1:55.42 to 1:55.60. The women’s 50 free then saw Semenuk and Alons tie for the win in 22.92, with Webb just behind in 22.97.
After the first break, Pash picked up her second win of the day in the 100 free in 49.34, just ahead of NC State’s Webb (49.48) and Texas’ Semenuk (49.67). Berkoff also doubled up, claiming the 200 back in 1:53.31 after she surged ahead of Bray on the third 50. Bray ended up second in 1:53.73.
Texas went 1-2 again in the 500 free, and this time, Pfeifer got the better of Sullivan, 4:48.66 to 4:51.10. The Longhorns extended their advantage with another 1-2 finish in the 100 fly with Bray (52.12) and Sticklen (52.62). Texas also got a boost with a sweep of diving points. Hailey Hernandez, Paola Pineda and Bridget O’Neil went 1-2-3 on 1-meter, and the same trio occupied the top-three spots on 3-meter, with O’Neil winning ahead of Hernandez and Pineda.
Arens won her second event of the day with a 1:57.70 in the 200 IM, denying Pash (1:58.45) her third triumph. NC State then easily won the 400 free relay in 3:16.57 with Berkoff, Webb, Alons and Crush, but that was not enough to overcome Texas’ overall efforts to claim the victory.
In the men’s meet, Nyls Korstanje put on a show with victories in the 50 free and 100 fly. He clocked a time of 19.52 in the 50 free, and then he swam a 44.76 in the 100 fly. That time ranks second in the nation this season behind only the 44.64 that Virginia Tech’s Youssef Ramadan swam in November, and it sets up an interesting showdown between the two at next month’s ACC Championships.
Also for the Wolfpack, Giovanni Izzo won the 100 back (47.65) and 200 IM (1:45.81), while Will Gallant won the 1000 free (9:02.86) and Hunter Tapp took first in the 200 free (1:35.55). Kacper Stokowski put up a time of 1:42.88 in the 200 back.
Meanwhile, former NC State star and short course meters world-record holder Coleman Stewart swam a 46.27 in the 100 backstroke in exhibition action.
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Lots of close races and fast times!
Take out the diving points and who wins?