For the third time in her career,
Katharine Berkoff is a national champion as the fifth year from Missoula, Mont., took home first in the 100 YD backstroke with a time of 48.55, setting a program record and led the Wolfpack on night three of the championships.
Berkoff advanced to the finals after setting the Georgia pool record in the prelims, swimming a 49.34 to finish first overall in seven heats. She bested that time in the finals to set the records once again. The win gives Berkoff the title in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Joining Berkoff in the 100 YD backstroke, earning All-American status, was
Kennedy Noble. Noble finished in third, giving her back-to-back years with a top-eight finish. Noble touched the wall in the finals with a time of 50.55.
Abby Arens just missed out on the A-final of the 100 YD butterfly by .03 hundredths of a second, but her time of 51.10 during preliminaries gave her the ninth-best time in the event. In that B-final, Arens finished 15th with a time of 51.55, earning her All-American honorable mentions.
The night ended with the Wolfpack earning sixth place and a spot on the podium in the 400-meter relay. The relay team of Berkoff, Arens, Noble, and
Annabel Crush combined to swim a 3:27.12 to secure valuable points for the team.
The Wolfpack Women sit in ninth place with 114 points heading into the final day.
All-America RecipientsKatharine Berkoff- 50 YD Freestyle, 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 YD Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay
Abby Arens- 200 Freestyle Relay, 100 butterfly (Honorable Mention), 400 Medley Relay
Miriam Sheehan- 200 Freestyle Relay
Meghan Donald- 200 Freestyle Relay
[url=https://gopack.com/sports/swimming-and-diving/roster/kennedy-noble/12630][/url]Kennedy Noble -200 IM (Honorable Mention), 100 YD Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay
Annabel Crush - 400 Medley Relay
Podium finishesKatharine Berkoff- 50 YD Freestyle (2nd Place)
Berkoff, Arens, Donald, Sheehan- 200 Freestyle Relay (7th Place)
Katharine Berkoff- 100 YD Backstroke (1st Place)
Kennedy Noble 100 YD Backstroke (3rd Palce)
Berkoff, Arens, Noble, Crush 400 Medley Relay (6th Place)
The Championships come to a close tomorrow, Saturday, March 23. On the final day, NC State will swim in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1650 freestyle, 400 free relay, and platform diving.
https://gopack.com/news/2024/3/22/swimming-berkoff-claims-third-100-backstroke-title-to-lift-pack-on-day-three-of-championships