The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK "They've got eight new players, and some of those kids have played and transferred in and, man, they can play. They've got talent. They're going to be tough because of the small ball that they play. They'll put four guards on the floor and switch and push the tempo. [The ACC] got a taste of what Kevin [Keatts] could do last year and look at the talent he's got at NC State this year." — Anonymous college coach on NC State's chances this season (SI.com) "[NC State redshirt junior] Jakobi Meyers has emerged as one of the Pack's go-to receivers on the year, with 30 receptions for 319 yards and one touchdown. Meyers was a two-star as a recruit, but it's hard to fault me too much, as he insisted he would play quarterback in college. "In fact, Meyers was bound for Kent State as a quarterback until a late offer from the Wolf- pack changed his mind. After struggling to crack the depth chart at quarterback, he was moved to wide receiver, and it's clear he's more than outplayed his two-star ranking." — Rivals.com's Woody Wommack on emergence of Meyers since high school (Rivals.com) "The first part of my career didn't go nearly as planned, and that was something I had to work on. I realized one of the reasons I wasn't as successful as I wanted to be was I was too worried about what everyone else was doing and not about myself." — NCSU sixth-year senior quarterback Ryan Finley on evolving since transferring from Boise State (ESPN.com) "The Chargers did plenty of research on the 2018 quarterback draft class but jumped on the opportunity to draft Derwin James. Can't blame them for that. With [NC State quarterback Ryan] Finley, they'd get a super-experienced pocket passer who'll be ready to take over when Philip Rivers retires." — NFL Draft guru Chris Trapasso projecting Finley to go No. 25 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers in his Oct. 12 mock draft (CBSSports.com) "We are a defense that is hungry, and it's a young group. I think we are hungrier than last year on the defensive team. Some people had some entitlement there. We are a young group that is trying to get better." — NCSU fifth-year senior outside linebacker Germaine Pratt on this year's defense (TheWolfpacker.com) "I think his body management will be really key. He is such an explosive kid that when he gets off the ground, he's four, five feet in the air. You start getting hit and start banging the ground among the big bodies. It takes a toll on everyone's bodies, but especially a kid like him." — New York Rens traveling team coach Andy Borman on how NC State senior commit Jalen Lecque of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy can improve this season (TheWolfpacker.com) "It's a great experience. NCAA and collegiate swimming is way different than I've ever experienced before, because you are not racing for yourself or for your country. You know that when you get on the blocks you are racing for the whole team. You are racing for each individual athlete that is in the bleachers waiting for your race. That motivates me to get better and get faster to be better for the next year." — NC State senior men's swim- mer Andreas Vazaios on the excitement of competing on the college level (The Technician) QUOTING THE PACK Makenzie Kuchmaner, Volleyball Through Oct. 22, the redshirt junior libero from Wax- haw, N.C., ranked second in the ACC in digs per game at 4.70. She played a total of 79 sets in 2017 and was al - ready at that number after the first 20 games of the campaign with an- other eight left on the regular sea- son schedule. Kuchmaner is also a v ersatile athlete, who briefly joined the softball team in January 2017. Leon Krapf, Men's Soccer The sophomore goalie from Gochsheim, Germany, has earned two separate ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall. The second of the two came Oct. 15 after he registered shutout wins over Longwood and previously un - beaten No. 1 UNC. He was also hon- ored Sept. 24 after stopping three shots in a shutout triumph over No. 14 Virginia Tech. Through Oct. 22, Krapf ranked fifth in the ACC in goals against average (0.949), third in saves percentage (.760) and tied for first in shutouts (seven). Gabriel Machado, Men's Soccer The junior college transfer from Monroe College in New York has made an immediate impact for the Wolf - pack. In the first 15 games of the season, during which NC State was 8-4-3 with three wins over ranked opponents, he was leading NC State with four goals scored and his 10 to - tal points tied for the team high. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native was named the TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Week for Aug. 27-Sept. 2 after scoring goals in 2-0 wins at No. 2 Akron and against Presbyterian. Alana Smith, Women's Tennis The freshman from Fort Washington, Md., was just the second American "blue chip" recruit, according to TennisRecruit - ing.net, to sign with NC State. Thus far in the fall of her rookie year, she has a 10-3 overall record, including a 6-2 singles mark. Among her victo - ries was a win over former Wolfpack star Joelle Kissell at the Charleston, S.C., ITF event. Kissell is the all-time leader in singles wins at NC State. Sydney Wootten, Women's Soccer The four-year starting senior goalkeeper from San Di- ego stopped a career-high 16 shots Oct. 13 in Tallahassee, Fla., to pre- serve a 1-1 tie with No. 13 Florida State. She played every second in net for the first 18 games of the year, sporting a 1.01 goals-against average and an .806 save percent- age, the latter which ranked fourth in the ACC through Oct. 22. She is fourth all time at NC State with her 1.24 goals-against career average and third in shutouts with 23, and her 277 all-time saves are within striking distance of Barbara Wickstrand's 295 for fifth most at State. ■ PACK PERFORMERS "I told him I was the first one to put it on. I told him I let him wear my number." ■ NC State junior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon on how he and fifth-year senior outside linebacker GERMAINE PRATT have put jersey No. 3 on the map (The Raleigh News & Observer) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN