Two of the top swimming & diving teams in the nation are preparing for a different type of battle—one that takes place out of the pool.
The men’s teams from NC State and the University of Florida will inevitably collide in late March at the NCAA Championships, but prior to that, they’ll engage in a friendly game of Fortnite Battle Royale.
NC State freshman David Curtiss, the team’s official ‘coach’ for the event, told SwimSwam that the Wolfpack and Gators have agreed to a friendly 8v8 tournament-style game with bragging rights on the line.
Each team will select their top eight players to compete against the other, with the game’s objective to be the last player standing. In a group battle like this one, whichever team the last player standing is on will win the match.
For more on how the game works, click here.
Curtiss says the objective for the match is simply some pre-championship fun and to promote friendly team interactions outside of the pool—something that’s been difficult for the swimmers to do over the last two years due to the pandemic.
“I think a fun little competition like the one we are going to have next week will be a great one for the sport of swimming, as we often only focus on the swimming relationship between teams,” Curtiss said. “Now we can take a step back, have some fun, and compete outside the water in a video game all of us can play. Super excited to see how this unfolds.”
The matchup is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 7 PM (EST). Streaming options are currently being discussed.
NC State captain Giovanni Izzo added: “I’m excited about it because we can bring swimming (competition) outside the water. It was fun the other night, playing to figure out the squad, and I think my team is ready to go and take on Florida.”
The Florida men will compete at the SEC Championships Feb. 15-19 at the University of Tennessee, while NC State is preparing to race on the same dates at the ACC Championships at Georgia Tech.
The Gators and Wolfpack will then go head-to-head inside the pool at men’s NCAAs, also taking place in Atlanta at Georgia Tech, March 23-26.
