Alons and Stewart Triple as NC State Men and Women Top South Carolina

NC State vs. South Carolina

• Friday, October 25, 2019
• Raleigh, NC
• SCY
• Dual meet format
• Full results
• Scores
  • Women: NC State 197, South Carolina 100
  • Men: NC State 194, South Carolina 104

Women’s Recap

The Wolfpack women came out swinging, putting together a 200 medley relay win in a time of 1:37.76, the 2nd-fastest in the NCAA this season. Sirena Rowe split an impressive 23.04 on the fly leg, on par with many of the splits in the finals at last seasons’ NCAA championships. 

Kylee Alons led NC State with three individual wins. First, she took led a deep Wolfpack backstroke group with a 53.03 in the 100 back. Emma Muzzy just touched out Katharine Berkhoff for second, 53.70 to 53.77. Next, Alons won the 100 free in 49.31, two seconds ahead of the field. Finally, she took the 100 fly in 54.14.

NC State then rattled off another five straight wins. Mackenzie Glover took the first individual event, the 1000 free, in 10:07.68. Next, Julia Poole outdueled teammate Kate Moore in the 200 free, wining 1:48.34 to 1:48.93.

All-American Sophie Hansson also doubled for the Wolfpack, winning the 100 breast in 1:00.65 and the 200 breast in 2:11.78. Hansson finished 3rd in both of those events at last season’s NCAA championships.

NC State also got wins from Makayla Sargent (1:58.78 in the 200 fly), Emma Muzzy (1:55.33 in the 200 back), Maddie Morello (4:57.58 in the 500 free) and Kate Moore (4:10.50 in the 400 IM). Moore’s time is the 2nd-fastest in the NCAA so far this year, behind only Calyspo Sheridan’s 4:05.33 from the SMU Classic.

Christina Lappin nabbed South Carolina’s only win of the day (excluding exhibitioned events), winning the 50 free in 22.96.

South Carolina also officially won the 400 free relay with a 3:24.72, but NC State had exhibitioned that event, and their ‘B’ relay actually touched first in 3:22.75.

Men’s Recap

Due largely to graduations, the NC State men’s relays have been totally overhauled this season, and no one on NC State’s ‘A’ relay today was on the relay that earned 3rd place at last year’s NCAAs. Still, the Wolfpack quartet of Noah Hensley (22.59), Rafal Kusto (24.70), Luke Sobolewski (21.17) and Tyler Rice (20.12) combined for a 1:28.58 and the win.

Coleman Stewart, the Wolfpack’s top returning swimmer, won the same three events that Alons won on the women’s side. First, he put up a 46.59 in the 100 back is the 3rd-fastest in the nation so far this season. Next, he won the 100 free, an event he normally doesn’t swim individually, in 44.32, and the completed the trifecta with a 47.79 in the 100 fly. Stewart finished 2nd in both the 100 back and 100 fly at NCAAs last March, and is the fastest returner in both of those events.

NC State had one of the top recruiting classes this year, and a pair of freshmen earned wins in their first dual meet ever for the Wolfpack. #6 Ross Dant won the 1000 free in 9:03.08, good for the 5th-fastest time so far this Eason, and #14 Hunter Tapp took the 200 free in 1:37.69.

The Wolfpack also got wins from Zach Brown (1:47.85 in the 200 fly), Nyls Korstanje (19.84 in the 50 free), Jacob Johnson (1:46.69 in the 200 back), Curtis Wiltsey (4:29.48 in the 500 free), and Eric Knowles (3:55.25 in the 400 IM).

Lionel Khoo earned South Carolina’s only event wins, sweeping the breaststrokes with times of 54.81/2:01.55. NC State’s Rafal Kusto took 2nd in both events, going 55.93 in the 100 and getting run down by Khoo over the final 50 in the 200, touching in 2:01.67.

NC State wrapped things up with a 2:58.22 win in the 400 free relay (although technically exhibitioned). Coleman Stewart got the only sub-44 split in the field, as Korstanje, Hensley, and Mark McGlaughlin all split 44s.

NC State Release

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams kicked off the 2019-20 season by cruising to a sweep over the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday evening.

Swimming at home at the Casey Aquatic Center, the seventh-ranked Wolfpack women outscored South Carolina 197-100 in their first dual meet of the season. The No. 3 Pack men took a 194-104 season-opening victory.

Between the two squads, NC State posted the best times/highest scores in 26 of the 32 events contested. The Wolfpack swept the podium a total of 11 times on Friday night, as both teams will start the season with 1-0 records in head-to-head matchups.

MEET HIGHLIGHTS:
Two members of the Pack took home victories in all three events of the triples that they swam.

Sophomore Kylee Alons won the 100-yard backstroke (53.02), 100-yard freestyle (49.31) and 100-yard butterfly (54.14). She posted NCAA B cuts in the former two events on her way to leading the Wolfpack women in scoring at the meet.

Coleman Stewart also picked up three wins in the season debut. The senior captain, who entered the season as the nation’s top returner in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly, placed first in both of those events in 46.59 and 47.79, respectively. He added a win in the 100-yard freestyle (44.32) to round out his day.

Sophie Hansson was another member of the NC State roster to win multiple individual events as she swept the breaststroke titles. Her times in both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.65) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.78) were both under NCAA provisional standards for the events.

NC State’s distance crew stayed true to its usual form in Friday night’s meet. The Wolfpack swept the 500-yard freestyle podium on both the men’s and women’s sides, and the Pack men also went 1-2-3 in the 1,000-yard freestyle.

Kate Moore (4:10.50) and Makayla Sargent (4:13.51) got their seasons off to fast starts in the 400-yard individual medley, with Moore taking home the victory in the event. Both of their marks were NCAA B cuts to kick off their 2019-20 campaigns, and Moore’s mark currently ranks second in the nation this season.

Nyls Korstanje also managed to drop a solid time in the 50-yard freestyle. His 19.84 ranks third in the nation in the early stages of the year.

Madeline Kline kicked off the meet against South Carolina with a win on one-meter. She posted a 256.95 to take home first place in the event. James Brady also impressed with a pair of second-place finishes, with his one-meter score (330.98) qualifying him for NCAA Zones.

The teams’ newcomers also impressed in their first meet as members of the Wolfpack. Ross Dant won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:03.08, and Hunter Tapp took home the 200-yard freestyle victory (1:37.69) in his first collegiate race. In total, NC State saw its freshmen finish in the top three 12 times over the course of the meet.

UP NEXT:
NC State will head to Lexington, Ky., from Nov. 7-8 for a quad meet against Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas.

WOMEN’S SCORE: NC STATE, 197 – SOUTH CAROLINA, 100
TOP FINISHERS:

• One-meter: Madeline Kline (1st place – 256.95)
• 200 medley relay: Berkoff, Hansson, Rowe, Alons (1st place – 1:37.76)
• 1,000 freestyle: Mackenzie Glover (1st place – 10:07.68)
• 200 freestyle: Julia Poole (1st place – 1:48.34)
• 100 backstroke: Kylee Alons (1st place – 53.02)
• 100 breaststroke: Sophie Hansson (1st place – 1:00.65)
• 200 butterfly: Makayla Sargent (1st place – 1:58.78
• 50 freestyle: Vasiliki Baka (2nd place – 23.72)
• 100 freestyle: Kylee Alons (1st place – 49.31)
• Three-meter: Madeline Kline (3rd place – 247.80)
• 200 backstroke: Emma Muzzy (1st place – 1:55.33)
• 200 breaststroke: Sophie Hansson (1st place – 2:11.78)
• 500 freestyle: Maddie Morello (1st place – 4:57.58)
• 100 butterfly: Kylee Alons (1st place – 54.14)
• 400 IM: Kate Moore (1st place – 4:10.50)
• 400 freestyle relay: Hansson, Calegan, Poole, Baka (EXH – 3:22.75)

MEN’S SCORE: NC STATE, 194 – SOUTH CAROLINA, 104
TOP FINISHERS:

• Three-meter: James Brady (2nd place – 310.50)
• 200 medley relay: Hensley, Kusto, Sobolewski, Rice (1st place – 1:28.58)
• 1,000 freestyle: Ross Dant (1st place – 9:03.08)
• 200 freestyle: Hunter Tapp (1st place – 1:37.69)
• 100 backstroke: Coleman Stewart (1st place – 46.59)
• 100 breaststroke: Rafal Kusto (2nd place – 55.93)
• 200 butterfly: Zach Brown (1st place – 1:47.85)
• 50 freestyle: Nyls Korstanje (1st place – 19.84)
• 100 freestyle: Coleman Stewart (1st place – 44.32)
• One-meter: James Brady (2nd place – 330.98)
• 200 backstroke: Jacob Johnson (1st place – 1:46.69)
• 200 breaststroke: Rafal Kusto (2nd place – 2:01.67)
• 500 freestyle: Curtis Wiltsey (1st place – 4:29.48)
• 100 butterfly: Coleman Stewart (1st place – 47.79)
• 400 IM: Eric Knowles (1st place – 3:55.25)
• 400 freestyle relay: Korstanje, Stewart, Hensley, McGlaughlin (EXH – 2:58.22)

South Carolina Release

RALEIGH, N.C. —South Carolina swimming and diving battled hard, taking home a season high eight event wins against the No. 3/7 ranked NC State Friday afternoon. The Wolfpack claimed both team victories- 197-100 on the women’s and 194-104 on the men’s side.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES
– Senior Lionel Khoo took home two victories for the Gamecocks, sweeping both breaststroke events. The Singapore native now has four individual victories on the year.
-Senior Christina Lappin continued her dominance in the 50 freestyle, winning the event for the second time this season with a time of 22.96.
-South Carolina swept the 400 freestyle relay, with the team of Lappin, Emily Cornell, Janie Smithand Edith Lingmann taking first for the women, while the team of Lewis Burras, Guy Gropper, AJ Ross and Justin Rose took home first in the men’s event.
-Sophomore diver Anton Down-Jenkins swept both the one- and three-meter dives in his first appearance for the Gamecocks in the new campaign. Down-Jenkins qualified for the NCAA Championships in both events last year as a true freshman.
-Junior Yu Qian Goh won the women’s three-meter dive with a score of 289.65

QUOTEABLE: HEAD SWIMMING COACH MCGEE MOODY
“This is probably the best competition we will see from a dual meet standpoint all season long.  They are strong on both sides, it was great test for us today. I thought our women stepped up to the plate and raced really well. On the men’s side, Lionel Khoo, Lewis Burras and Justin Rose had a great day. We go from this into a huge meet with UNC.”

QUOTEABLE: HEAD DIVING COACH TODD SHERRITT
“This was a very tough diving well. Very few places you come in with someone swimming right in front of you, but we knew that coming in and everyone handled it well. Anton did some great dives as did Grant. Yu Qian coming in and winning an event like this is very important. Overall I’m very happy with the way everything turned out, we’ve been working very hard and we’re looking forward to next week against UNC.”

Up next for the Gamecocks
The Gamecocks will return home to face border rival North Carolina Friday November 1 at 3 p.m.

For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.