NC State swimmers, head coach prepare for 2024 Paris Olympics: ‘It’s like the Super Bowl’

When N.C. State hired Braden Holloway to be its head swimming coach in 2011, he told the team — notably the women — their goal was to lay a foundation for the future. They likely wouldn’t be around to reap the benefits, but they would build a program that put a woman on the U.S. Olympic team.

The Wolfpack started at the bottom, nowhere to be found. Thirteen years later, he made good on that promise.

Katharine Berkoff placed second in the 100-meter backstroke at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis last week, finishing the race with a time of 57.91 seconds. Regan Smith won the event with a new world record of 57.13 seconds.

NC State five-time NCAA champion swimmer heading to Paris Olympics with US team

Berkoff’s qualification comes three years after narrowly missing Team USA before the 2021 games in Tokyo.

“When we got to trials, we had a couple of days before she raced. Three years ago, she went to that meet hoping that she would get it done,” Holloway said. “This time around, she went into the meet knowing she was going to get it done.”

She said making the team this time was a “relief” and cried tears of joy. Plenty of preparation went into this accomplishment, but it’s hard to ignore a small feeling of magic, of destiny.

After her heartbreaking finish at the last trials, Berkoff becomes the second Olympian in her family. Her father, Dave, competed for the United States in 1988 and 1992, earning four medals, two of them gold. The duo plans to go together this summer and get tattoos of the Olympic rings.

“As soon as I figured out that he was an Olympian, gold medalist, world record holder, I decided I wanted to do all those things, too,” Berkoff said Thursday. “From the start, when I learned what he did, I decided I wanted to do the same thing. It’s been really special.”

She will be joined by Holloway, who earned a spot as an assistant coach for Team USA. Berkoff said it’s a relief to have someone she knows and trusts there for support.

During her five-year career with the Wolfpack, Berkoff earned five straight ACC titles in the 100-yard backstroke and three national championships in the same event.

She made waves on the international stage the past two summers, winning medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Last year, she won gold in the 4x100 meter medley relay and bronze in the 4x100 mixed medley relay and 100-meter back.

The next several weeks will be busy. Team USA travels to Cary for training before heading to Croatia for another training stint. Berkoff said teammate Rhyan White and three-time Olympian Aaron Peirsol already called to provide insight and support.

“She’s a program changer, and not just what she does in the pool … Watching her grow and mature within our program and lifting it up, we were able to do things that we’ve never done with her here,” Holloway said. “And, she’s elevated more than just herself. She’s elevated me as a coach. She helps me be a better dad and a better husband. She’s elevated so many people around her to not be afraid to dream.”

‘Dreams are coming true’

Several former N.C. State swimmers also earned spots on Olympic teams for various countries.

Ryan Held, a former national champion and Olympic gold medalist, will compete in the 4x100 freestyle relay for Team USA, while five other Wolfpack swimmers will compete internationally.

Kacper Stokowski and Bartosz Piszczorowicz — longtime friends, teammates and roommates — will represent Poland.

Stokowski, in his second Olympic Games, earned his spot on the team last year at the 2023 Polish National Championships. He completed his Wolfpack career this spring, earning five All-America honors and two ACC titles in 2024. He also won two national championships for the Pack in 2022 and 2023.

Piszczorowicz secured a place on the team in April. He won three ACC titles after transferring to N.C. State from Louisville. He qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but did not compete — he was sent home days before heading to the Olympic Village — due to an administrative error.

The graduate student arrived in Raleigh for the 2021-22 season. Piszczorowicz credited Holloway and assistant coach Kevin Happ for their patience and saving his swimming career.

“That’s the goal of every student-athlete and every athlete in the world. N.C. State just helped us to achieve this goal,” Piszczorowicz said. “It’s like [the] NFL Super Bowl for footballers. There’s nothing else above that and reaching this goal is just a dream come true.”

The swimmers met when they were 14 and began competing together a year later. They’ve done almost everything together: driving to practice, making breakfast, now they’re finally headed to the Olympics together. Yes, they’re going to be roommates in Paris.

“I’m really happy that he made it, we’ll get to celebrate together, and we’ll get to compete together at the biggest stage,” Stokowski said. “Since we were 14, we were dreaming about it. Right now, dreams are coming true.”

Sophie Hansson will represent Sweden in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. This will be her second Olympic games representing her home country. Hansson won four national titles, 11 ACC championships and 22 All-America honors during her collegiate career.

Nyls Korstanje, known as the Flying Dutchman, also grabbed a spot on the Netherlands’ Olympic team. The former Wolfpack national champion and 11-time ACC champ is set to swim the 100 butterfly.

Lastly, Andreas Vazaios will represent Greece in his fourth Olympic games and look to win his first medal. Vaz won four NCAA titles at N.C. State and received ACC Swimmer of the Year honors in 2018.

Forty different individuals from N.C. State have qualified for the Olympics and 26 swimmers and divers, according to the university.

The Olympics begin on July 26 with the opening ceremony. Swimming starts on July 27, with a full schedule of events available on the Olympics website.