Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley Make Impactful Debuts at NC State, Fueling Hopes for Continued Success in College Swimming
The 2024-25 college swimming season has kicked off, with NC State’s women’s swim team witnessing a shift as two top-tier athletes from last season, Katharine Berkoff and Abby Arens, have departed. Berkoff, a decorated swimmer with three NCAA titles in the 100 backstroke, completed her fifth year of eligibility before capturing an individual bronze and relay gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Arens made a transfer to Texas for her final year. With these changes, NC State looks to a new set of swimmers to keep its competitive edge.
Key Returning Athletes for NC State
Among returning individual NCAA scorers are Kennedy Noble, who secured a second-place finish in the 200-yard event at last year’s NCAA Championships and showed strong performances with two top-four finishes at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Alongside her is Emma Hastings, a skilled distance swimmer who will also look to score for the Wolfpack this season.
Entering Freshmen Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley
NC State has welcomed two highly-recruited freshmen, Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley, both of whom have the potential to make a significant impact early in their college careers. They follow in the footsteps of another notable NC State freshman, Daniel Diehl, who joined in January 2024 and went on to place sixth in the 200-meter IM and ninth in the 200-meter free at the Olympic Trials just months later.
In NC State’s season-opening dual meet against Arizona State, resulting in a 222-131 victory, Pelaez and Shackley both demonstrated their potential, securing some of the team’s most impressive results with times competitive enough for national scoring levels.
Erika Pelaez’s Standout Performance
Pelaez kicked off her college career in style, leading off the NC State 200 medley relay with a 23.48 backstroke split—a time faster than most athletes clocked in this event at last year’s NCAA Championships. She then claimed victory in the 200 free, posting a time of 1:43.14, a personal best that shaved over a second from her previous top time of 1:44.91. This performance nearly met the qualifying times required for last year’s NCAA A-final.
Pelaez also anchored NC State’s 400 free relay with a time of 46.76, a pace unmatched by any NC State swimmer last season aside from Berkoff. In addition, she set a lifetime best in the 200 back, clocking in at 1:50.71, which would have earned her a sixth-place finish at last year’s national level. Her 100 free time of 47.98 is just shy of NCAA scoring requirements, and her 21.63 split on the 200 free relay was another standout performance, surpassing all NC State swimmers last season except Berkoff.
Leah Shackley Shows Potential in Debut
Though Shackley’s times in the 200-yard events weren’t as dramatic as Pelaez’s, her debut was promising. She recorded a time of 50.40 in the 100 back, surpassing her National High School record time of 50.43 from February. Impressively, Shackley’s time would have placed her just behind the NCAA performances last season, excluding Berkoff’s.
In addition to her backstroke, Shackley delivered strong butterfly performances with a 22.78 and 51.00 split in the medley relay, and times of 51.47 in the 100 butterfly and 1:55.25 in the 200. With a prior best of 50.29 in the 100 butterfly during her senior year, Shackley’s potential is clear; this time would have ranked her among the top three performers at the NCAA Championships.
Looking Forward: A Promising Year for NC State Women’s Swimming
Despite the departure of Berkoff, Pelaez and Shackley have already shown they are ready to take the helm, helping NC State maintain its competitive edge. Alongside Kennedy Noble, the Wolfpack women have a strong lineup of athletes primed to make an impact at the NCAA Championships. While they may not reach the heights of the Braden Holloway era’s runner-up finish in 2021, NC State appears positioned to continue its streak of top-10 finishes that started in 2019.
Berkoff set a high standard for the program, demonstrating what’s achievable on both collegiate and international stages. Now, with the arrival of Pelaez and Shackley, the NC State women’s swimming program is well-poised for continued success, with new talent ready to lift the Wolfpack to new heights.
