CSL Match 5: Quintin McCarty, Eneli Jefimova Lead to NC State to Triumph; Liberty Clark Shines for Indiana
The NC State Wolfpack placed second in their first College Swimming League match three weeks ago but have now come through for a victory in the fifth CSL match, likely securing a spot in the CSL final. Competing Friday evening in Walnut, Calif., NC State scored 544.83 points to comfortably defeat rivals Indiana (469.83), California (394.33) and Stanford (311).
Quintin McCarty and Eneli Jefimova were the top performers for NC State in this match. McCarty won the 50 and 100 freestyle while pacing NC State in its wins in the 200 free relay and super skins while Jefimova won the 200 breaststroke, 200 medley relay and breaststroke skins. Daniel Diehl and Kaii Winkler also got to the wall first in two individual events apiece.
The only swimmer with three individual wins, however, was Indiana’s Liberty Clark, who dominated the 50, 100 and 200 free on the women’s side. Another standout for the Hoosiers was Alex Shackell, who swept the butterfly events. The Hoosiers, winners in their CSL debut, remain a lock for the postseason, either as a top-three automatic qualifier for the CSL final or as a wildcard team. And despite their bottom-two finishes here, Cal and Stanford both remain alive with seven out of 12 teams set to advance.
Women’s 200 Backstroke
She did not compete for Cal in its CSL debut two weeks ago, but Rylee Erisman made her presence felt from the first race in this match. The highly-touted freshman kicked off the session with an enormous performance in the 200 backstroke, coming from behind to earn a victory while obliterating her previous 200 back best time by a whooping 5.54 seconds.A
Erisman hit the wall in 1:48.74, making her the 20th-fastest woman in history in the event. Erisman, best known for her skills in the freestyle events, used a 27.21 final split helped to upstage a group of veteran backstroke specialists. Indiana’s Miranda Grana ended up finishing second in 1:49.09, followed by the NC State duo of Leah Shackley (1:49.25) and Erika Pelaez (1:49.58).
Men’s 200 Backstroke
NC State’s Daniel Diehl pulled away from Indiana’s Miroslav Knedla over the back half of the race to secure first in the men’s 200 back. Diehl finished in 1:39.41 to Knedla’s 1:39.65, but the Hoosiers still ended up with a strong haul here as Raekwon Noel grabbed third in 1:40.48. Stanford’s Ethan Ekk, a medalist in the 200-meter back at the Pan Pacific Championships, ended up fourth (1:41.23).
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Best known for her sprint breaststroke success entering the year, Eneli Jefimova continues to put up strong results in the 200-yard race this fall. She clocked 2:06.19 here to blow away the field by more than two seconds. Stanford teammates Adalene Robillard (2:08.31) and Lucy Thomas (2:09.67) occupied the next two spots, followed by Indiana’s Anita Bottazzo (2:09.93).
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
A rematch between the two top finishers in the 200 breast from the 2026 NCAA Championships did not disappoint. Cal’s Yamato Okadome had the lead early on, turning at the halfway point in 53.26, but Indiana’s Josh Bey kept it close enough before accelerating into the lead with a 28.64 third 50 split. Coming home, Bey pulled away, the Indiana sophomore finishing in 1:51.36 to Okadome’s 1:51.82, with Noah Cakir going 1:52.92 to give the Hoosiers a 1-3 finish.
Women’s 500 Freestyle
The top three swimmers got under 4:30 in the women’s 500 free, with the win going to Cal’s Camille Henveaux by two tenths in 4:38.77. That swim helped the Golden Bears hold of the Indiana freshman duo of Elizabeth Eichbrecht (4:39.00) and Kayla Han (4:39.14). Cal picked up additional points here with fourth-place Ella Cosgrove (4:40.41).
Men’s 500 Freestyle
NC State picked up a second men’s victory in three tries as Max Carlsen swam a time of 4:13.73 to lead the way in the 500 free while teammate Mikolaj Filipiak came in third at 4:16.97. In between was Cal’s Keaton Jones at 4:14.48.
Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay
NC State took control of the women’s skins and perhaps the match with a strong victory in the 200 free relay. The team was behind following Tyler Driscoll’s 22.27 leadoff leg, but the next three swimmers came through: Lily Christianson at 21.17, Lily King at 21.39 and Erika Pelaez at 21.30. That added up to a final time of 1:26.13, less than four tenths better than any other team.
Indiana sophomore Liberty Clark put on an electric performance at this match, securing three individual victories, but before that, she helped Indiana place second in the relay. Clark went 21.43 before giving way to Grace Hooper, Miranda Grana and Kristina Paegle, the latter of whom came home in 21.27 for a final time of 1:26.51. The Hoosiers needed every bit of those heroics to hang on for second as Cal finished just three hundredths behind. Mary-Ambre Moluh, Rylee Erisman and Gracyn Aquino made it a race entering the final stretch before Mia West split 21.26 in a neck-and-neck fight with Paegle. Cal ended up touching in 1:26.54.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay
The Wolfpack also secured first in the men’s 200 free relay thanks to Kaii Winkler, Jerry Fox, Wells Walker and Quintin McCarty. Fox split 18.83 on the second leg while McCarty came home in 18.45 on the way to a winning time of 1:15.75, seven tenths ahead of the field.
Cal, featuring an 18.68 split from Michel Arkhangelskiy, placed second in 1:16.46. Lucca Battaglini, Albert Smelzer and Martin Wrede also raced for the Golden Bears. Indiana’s Owen McDonald, Mikkel Lee, Dylan Smiley and Miroslav Knedla took third in 1:16.80.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
Two of the best 200 butterflyers in the United States competed in the women’s event, with Indiana’s Alex Shackell pulling away from Stanford’s Caroline Bricker to take the win. Shackell, a 2024 Olympic finalist in the 200-meter fly and the runnerup in the event at the 2026 NCAA Championships, was timed at 1:52.13, 1.30 seconds better than Bricker’s 1:53.43.
Those two finished almost three seconds better than anyone else in the field, with Indiana’s Kayla Han finishing third in 1:56.32 ahead of a line of fellow freshman Kelsey Zhang (Cal, 1:56.42), Emma Cigna (NC State, 1:56.52) and Hoi Ching Yeung (Cal, 1:56.64).
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Raekwon Noel became the first male swimmer with multiple top-three finishes on the day as he followed up his third-place result in the 200 back with a dominant swim in the 200 fly. Noel clocked 1:41.92 for the win here, well clear of runnerup Gibson Holmes of Stanford (1:43.33). NC State’s Alan Vergine took third (1:43.51).
Women’s 100 IM
The finish in the women’s 100 IM came down to the wire. Not long after both were involved in a tight battle for second place in the 200 free relay, Cal’s Mia West edged out NC State’s Lily Christianson for the top spot here by two hundredths, 53.11 to 53.13. Indiana’s Anita Bottazzo placed third in 53.36.
Men’s 100 IM
Kaii Winkler made a rare medley appearance here and beat Indiana veteran Owen McDonald to the wall by 0.15. Winkler, representing NC State, came in at 46.72 to the 46.87 of McDonald. Simon Bermudez made it a 1-3 finish for the Wolfpack with his time of 48.07, but the Hoosiers ended up 2-4 with McDonald and Toby Barnett (48.19).
Women’s 100 Backstroke
The Wolfpack did even better in the women’s 100 back with a 1-2 finish courtesy of a pair of juniors. Leah Shackley came out more than three tenths clear of the field in 50.60 while Erika Pelaez touched out Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh for second, 50.96 to 51.01. Indiana’s Miranda Grana (51.27) was not far off the pace.
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Indiana returned to the winner’s circle here thanks to Miroslav Knedla, who blasted a time of 45.35 to pull clear of NC State’s Isaiah Aleksenko (45.71). Cal’s Michel Arkhangelskiy took third (46.03), just denying Indiana’s Raekwon Noel (46.18) a third time finishing in the top-three spots on the night.
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Liberty Clark came to California ready to perform for her team, and she showed up in the 100 free, taking down Cal freshman Rylee Erisman by four tenths for the win. Clark touched in 46.29, just off her lifetime best of 46.11 from last season, while Erisman came home second in 46.69. NC State’s Lily King rounded out the top-three in 47.58.
Men’s 100 Freestyle
No one was stopping Quintin McCarty in the 100 free, with the NC State senior recording a time of 41.88 to defeat the field by almost a second. Cal made the most of the event, however, with Lucca Battaglini (42.87) and Nanz Mazillier (42.93) out-pacing the rest of the competitors for a 2-3 finish, edging Indiana’s Vidar Carlbau (42.95) and Stanford’s Sander Kiaer Sorensen (42.96).
Women’s Skins
NC State picked breaststroke for women’s skins, hoping to capitalize on the speed of Eneli Jefimova, and the strategy paid off as Jefimova edged out Indiana rival Anita Bottazzo in all four rounds. Jefimova won 26.71 to 26.88 in round one, then 26.89 to 26.98 in the second as Cal’s Silje Slyngstadli and Stanford teammates Adalene Robillard and Lucy Thomas (tied for fourth) also advanced to the semifinal round.
Despite the short turnaround time, Jefimova kept dropping time, going 26.68 to Bottazzo’s 26.96 in the semifinal round, with both easily advancing to the final. The last race featured Jefimova winning in 26.65 over Bottazzo at 27.07.
Men’s Skins
The Wolfpack also had the choice of stroke for men’s skins, and freestyle proved to be the winning formula as Jerry Fox touched first in each round. Fox tied Cal’s John Thumann and Indiana’s Mikkel Lee at 19.68 in the opening swim, and then 20.00 got the job done in the next round. Fox went back under 20 in the third round, his 19.82 surpassing fellow finalist Michel Arkhangelskiy (20.30). Similar result in the final, with Fox winning in 20.22 and Arkhangelskiy finishing second in 20.99.
Women’s 200 IM
Indiana freshman Lylah Theriac upstaged a veteran group of medley swimmers, putting up a time of 1:55.74 to defeat the field by more than a second. Caroline Bricker, a past NCAA champion in the 400 IM, placed second in 1:56.60 while NC State’s Erika Pelaez finished third in 1:57.99, just ahead of the Cal duo of Mia West (1:58.06) and Ava Chavez (1:58.20).
Men’s 200 IM
Daniel Diehl secured his second win of the day for NC State, coming out on top by more than a second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:42.71. Fifth-year swimmer Owen McDonald took second in 1:43.97, and Cal freshman Baylor Stanton edged Stanford’s Ethan Ekk for third, 1:44.83 to 1:44.84.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
After Eneli Jefimova came through in the 200 breast and again in breaststroke skins, Anita Bottazzo turned the tables in the 100 breast. The native of Italy now representing Indiana University paced the field in 58.25, beating out Jefimova’s 58.74 as well as the third-place time of 59.49 from Cal’s Silje Slyngstadli.
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Beaten to the wall earlier in the 200 breast, no one was stopping Yamato Okadome in the 100-yard race. The Cal junior sped to a time of 51.78, surpassing Stanford’s Daniel Li (51.96), NC State’s Jan Gajda (52.10) and Indiana’s Toby Barnett (52.19).
Women’s 50 Freestyle
In a virtual repeat of the 100 free earlier in the meet, Liberty Clark got the better of Rylee Erisman in the 50 free. Clark touched in 21.44, just a hundredth slower than her relay leadoff from earlier in the night. Her best time sits at 21.25. Erisman came in at 21.66 for second place, followed by NC State’s Lily Christianson (21.82).
Men’s 50 Freestyle
While Jerry Fox took care of business in the men’s skins, NC State turned to Quintin McCarty to provide the hammer in the conventional 50 free. McCarty followed up his 100 free win with a time of 18.91, a whopping half-second better than anyone else. Cal compensated with a 2-3 finish from Martin Wrede (19.41) and Lucca Battaglini (19.65), but Fox helped out NC State’s cause by finishing fourth (19.69).
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Alex Shackell finished off the butterfly sweep, adding to her 200-yard win with a time of 50.89. Indiana would make it a 1-3 finish here with Miranda Grana third (51.37). Grana ended the day with three individual top-three finishes, just like NC State second-place finisher Leah Shackley (51.37).
Men’s 100 Butterfly
NC State continued to pile on points with a 1-2 finish in the 100 fly. Kaii Winkler added to his earlier win in the 100 IM with another one here, clocking 45.29, while teammate Isaiah Aleksenko placed second in 45.81. Cal’s Casper Puggaard finished third in 46.03.
Women’s 200 Freestyle
To conclude women’s individual racing, Liberty Clark put up a time of 1:43.34 to win the 200 free by almost two seconds. Clark, with a lifetime best of 1:39.70, ranks fourth all-time in this event, having finished second to Anna Moesch at last year’s NCAA Championships.
A tight race for second here went to Stanford’s Caroline Bricker, her time of 1:45.24 putting her in the No. 2 spot for the third time on the day. Just behind were NC State’s Lily King (1:45.33) and Indiana’s Elizabeth Eichbrecht (1:45.42).
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Keaton Jones concluded individual racing with a strong performance in the 200 free, his time of 1:32.70 out-pacing Stanford’s Henry McFadden by more than two seconds. McFadden touched in 1:34.78 for second, with NC State’s Max Carlsen third (1:34.92).
Women’s Super Skins
Indiana and NC State faced off across all four rounds of the 200 medley relay. The NC State team of Leah Shackley, Eneli Jefimova, Tyler Driscoll and Erika Pelaez led the way to start things off, going 1:36.36, but the Hoosiers’ Miranda Grana, Anita Bottazzo, Alex Shackell and Grace Hoeper had the superior endurance, clocking times of 1:36.39, 1:36.42 and then 1:36.18 in the final, almost eight tenths better than the Wolfpack.
Men’s Super Skins
NC State showed out across all four rounds here to put the finishing touches on a victorious team effort. The Wolfpack went with a team of Quintin McCarty, Jan Gajda, Kaii Winkler and Jerry Fox, a group which went 1:25.04 to top the field in round one, then 1:26.25 in the second swim and 1:26.18 in the third. The last race saw the fatigued Wolfpack group finish in 1:26.97, but that was plenty to edge out the runnerup Stanford group of Ethan Ekk, Daniel Li, Ethan Harrington and Nathan Foucu.
