The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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130 ■ THE WOLFPACKER sophomore year in college, it is coming together faster than I even planned. It defi- nitely sets up for next year." Henes and fifth-year senior Erika Kemp helped push each other during the outdoor track and field season, paying off for both runners. Henes finished 16th in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Champion- ships in Eugene, Ore., to earn All-America status. Kemp capped her decorated Wolf- pack career with a bang, placing 10th. "Positioning in races matters more than I thought it did," Henes said. "It's about be- ing aggressive in the 5,000, and not sitting back and letting the race play out. "Running is so much more mental in my opinion than physical." Having the opportunity to race on the historic venue at the University of Oregon was special in several ways for Henes. "My emotions were definitely a mess at the end of that race," Henes said. "I was looking around at Hayward Field, and it's just amazing to be there. The crowd is so energetic. "I was happy to be in that stadium, and to have my mom and friends there." The departure of Kemp also affected Henes. "One of the last lessons she passed on to me was knowing who you are and be- coming who you are as an athlete and as a person," Henes said. "Seeing her in her last collegiate race was special." Finishing 16th in the 5,000 wasn't Henes' expectation. "I remember seeing Erika and telling her, 'I don't think I got All-American,'" the psychology major recalled. "Everything I had trained for and put in, it wasn't exactly shown through that result. "That was disappointing, but as a whole it didn't discredit the season or the year." "In a twisted way, I'm kind of glad to have that as motivation." ■ Here are the top 10 female athletes during the 2017‑18 school year at NC State after distance runner Elly Henes, The Wolfpacker's Female Athlete of the Year: 1. Tziarra King, soccer: King had a dominant sophomore season, scoring 17 goals and adding six assists to finish with a team‑best 40 points — 27 points higher than NC State's next highest. She also had five game‑winning goals for the 15‑5‑2 Wolfpack. The Sicklerville, N.J., native ranked fourth in the country in goals and fifth in points. She earned first‑team All‑ACC honors, was named to the league all‑tournament team and was one of 24 players selected to train with USA Under‑23 Women's Na ‑ tional Team this past March. 2. Hannah Moore, swimming: The former Michigan transfer from Cary earned All‑ America honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018. This past year, she finished third in the 1,650 freestyle (15:40.68) and seventh in the 500 freestyle (4:37.78) at the NCAA Champion‑ ships. She also earned honorable mention All‑America recognition for placing 13th in the 400 individual medley. Moore also won the ACC title in the 1,650 freestyle. 3. Erika Kemp, track and field: Kemp had exhausted her cross country eligibility this past fall, and just concentrated on indoor and outdoor track and field. The Mount Holly, N.J., native saved her best for last, finishing 10th (15:48.62) in the country in the 5,000‑meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past June. Kemp became a six‑time NCAA All‑American in track and field and cross country. She also earned All‑ACC honors, after finishing third in the 10,000 meters, and then went on to win the NCAA East Regional in the 5,000 meters. 4. Chelsea Nelson, basketball: The senior from Antioch, Tenn., blossomed into a double‑double machine and first‑team All‑ACC performer. She led the Wolfpack with 12.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Nelson, who helped NC State go 26‑9 and reach the Sweet 16, set a new ACC Tour ‑ nament record with 22 rebounds in a win over Duke March 2. She also had a career‑ high 30 points against Pittsburgh Feb. 22. Nelson finished her Wolfpack career with 1,173 points (27th all time at NCSU) and 794 rebounds (11th). 5. Elise Haan, swimming: The junior earned All‑America honors after finishing fourth and breaking the school record in the 100 backstroke (50.42) at the NCAA Championships. She also earned honorable mention Al‑America honors for her role in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, which both made the "B" final, and the 200 backstroke. The Naples, Fla., native was the ACC champion in the 100 backstroke and 200 med ‑ ley relay, and she was second in the league in the 200 backstroke. 6. Julia Brown, volleyball: The 6‑1 senior outside hitter was named first‑team All‑ACC for the second year in a row, becoming the first NC State player since Volire Tisdale in 1987 and 1988 to achieve that recognition. Brown was second in the ACC with 474 kills and was named an honorable mention All‑American. The Davidson, N.C., product is now playing professionally for Hylte/Halmstad Vol ‑ leyball Club in Sweden. 7. Lauren Phillips, rifle: The senior earned All‑America honors for the seventh time in her decorated NC State career. The National Rifle Association picked her second team in the smallbore and air rifle, and the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association named her an honorable mention All‑American. She finished third in the smallbore finals at the GARC Championships, and went on to finish 12th in the event at the NCAA Championships. The Seabeck, Wash., native led the Wolfpack in air rifle season average (590.714), smallbore average (581.333) and total aggregate average (1172.047). 8. Laura Kowohl, golf: The junior finished tied for eighth at the NCAA Regional after shooting a 3‑under‑par 213 at TPC Harding Park May 7‑9 in San Francisco. Kowohl also shot a team‑best 3‑over 219 to finish tied for 12th at the ACC Championship at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. The Kronau, Germany, native led the Wolfpack with a 73.87 average for 18 holes and finished in the top 10 in three tournaments out of the team's 11 events. 9. Anna Rogers, tennis: Rogers and junior Claudia Wiktorin reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Doubles Championships. The duo finished 28‑12, which is the most doubles win in one season in program history. The sophomore Rogers, who is from Stamford, Conn., was the No. 1 singles per ‑ former, and went 13‑16 — but 14 of the losses were against nationally ranked op‑ ponents. The third‑team All‑ACC performer ended the year ranked No. 96 nationally in singles and No. 20 in doubles. 10. Chelsea Knight, gymnastics: The senior won the 2018 East Atlantic Gymnastics League all‑around and was first‑team all‑league in that event, plus bars, beam, floor and vault. Knight finished ninth in the all‑around at the NCAA Southeast Regional. The Waldorf, Md., native amassed 37 podium finishes her senior year — 23 firsts, eight seconds and six thirds. — Jacey Zembal Sophomore soccer standout Tziarra King finished the season ranked fourth in the nation in goals (17) and fifth in points (40), and also provided five game-winning goals for the 15-5-2 Wolfpack. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS TOP 10 FEMALE ATHLETES