How an Olympic experience helped prepare these NC State freshmen for Division I swimming

After spending 11 years of his life as an open-water swimmer, NC State freshman David Betlehem admitted he began to grow bored with that version of the sport. 

Even as he said that after a recent practice inside the Casey Aquatic Center, a smirk grew on his face. Betlehem is a decorated swimmer who won silver in the 4x1500m mixed relay at the 2022 World Championships, but his most recent accomplishment? It’s not something most would consider “boring.”

Betlehem earned an Olympic bronze medal in the 10k open water swim at the 2024 Paris games this past August. 

The Olympic medal, his first of his career, seemed to take weight off Betlehem’s shoulders. For years, he strived to be among the best in the sport. The Badgod, Hungary, native was able to accomplish that with a 1:51:09 swim to claim third in the Seine. 

Now, he’s relaxed. There’s a sense of confidence about Betlehem, who doesn’t carry himself like a freshman. Instead, he’s calm and appears excited to “try something new” at NC State.

While he’s embarking on a new path in swimming — competing in short course for the first time in his life — Betlehem has a free-going spirit about his first season in the United States. He doesn’t feel like he’s swimming with any pressure, like he had in the Olympics, with the Wolfpack this season. 

“I don’t think it changed me or I don’t think I’m a different person now,” Betlehem told TheWolfpacker.com. “I’m a different person in that view [of swimming], but I’m not stressing about swimming. I’m not stressing about doing extremely good things because I know I can do it. I just want to be relaxed and focused about it without stressing about it.”

As Betlehem brings an Olympic medal to his resume, he isn’t the only Wolfpack freshman that competed in Paris this past summer. Betti Fabian finished fifth in the women’s 10k open water swim in 2:04:16 for Hungary, while Kaii Winkler logged a 28th place in 100 butterfly for Germany. 

That experience paid dividends for all three freshmen who are used to being in the global spotlight in swimming. NC State is among the top programs in the country, checking in at No. 5 (women) and No. 6 (men) in this week’s CSCAA rankings, so the national stage isn’t a new experience. 

Fabian, who also represented Hungary in the 2023 World Championships, said the Olympic experience helped her respect the sport while she also gained respect around Raleigh. 

“I think it made me respect the sport more to have this result behind me,” Fabian said. “I think I can give advice to athletes here. When I meet with someone who’s not a swimmer or another athlete at NC State, they’re all like, ‘Wow, you were at the Olympics.’”

Winkler, meanwhile, noted that his Olympic debut helped him set the bar for what it takes to reach the highest level in the sport. Now, as he chases ACC and NCAA titles, the German-American has a blueprint to follow.

“It’s just such a great thing to experience before coming to college,” said Winkler, who previously held the U.S. boys’ 15-16 national age group record in the 100 free (48.81). “You get to see all these athletes and the hard work they put in. Just being a part of the best athletes in the world and seeing what they do and being a part of the atmosphere at the Olympics was such a crazy thing, honestly.”

“Coming here, it puts my mind on LA 2028 to take a step back and be appreciative of what I do here every day.”

The Olympic experience helped define these three swimmers, but for Betlehem, medaling was a lifelong dream come true. And it didn’t change his mind of his commitment to NC State. 

Betlehem said there was some worry at NC State that he might not want to swim for the Wolfpack after the medal, possibly to turn professional instead, but he noted that never came across his mind. He wanted to swim in college, looking for a new challenge to face in the sport.

“I achieved one of my biggest goals in my career, so I can say I’m not worried if I’m going to win a medal anymore or break some records,” Betlehem said. “It’s good to have these four years to focus on studying again and swimming here at NC State.”

While he can compete at NC State with a worry-free mindset, Betlehem still has his sights set on breaking records with the Wolfpack. He’s never swam the mile in a pool, but Betlehem is focused on becoming one of the best to ever compete in that event at the college level. 

“I want to be the fastest ever in the mile,” Betlehem said in a matter-of-fact manner. “I want to break the NCAA record. … I think this team is the best for me to do that.”

He’s not talking about accomplishing that in four years, either. No, Betlehem has his eyes on the 2025 NCAA Championships, where he wants to set the record. His Olympic experience confirmed he’s more than capable of doing it. And he’s going to allow his stress-free mindset to carry him in the water this season.