The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1087622
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK NC State head football coach Dave Doeren has hired Worth Gregory as the quality control coach for special teams. Doug Shearer previously held that title for NCSU, but he was hired away to be the special teams coordinator at Miami (Ohio). Gregory isn't a stranger to the Carolinas. The Fort Mill, S.C., native was a standout punter at East Carolina, where he averaged 43.0 yards per punt in 37 career games for the Pirates. He was a three-time Ray Guy Award watch list selection and second-team All-AAC his senior year after he averaged 42.3 yards per attempt. Gregory comes to NC State from Utah State, where he spent last season working with the Aggies' football program as a special teams administrative assistant coach. "We're excited to have somebody with Worth's background," Doeren said. "Not only does he have great experience as a special- ist, but he coached at a program that fielded great special teams. "He has strong regional ties, growing up in South Carolina but close to Charlotte, and playing at an in-state school. I'm looking forward to having his expertise on our staff." Utah State led the Football Bowl Subdivision in kickoff returns with a 30.3 average, with returner Savon Scarver averaging a staggering 33.7 yards per runback with two touchdowns en route to All-America honors. Punt returner Jordan Nathan averaged 8.3 yards per return and had a touchdown. Kicker Dominik Eberle, who was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, went 22 of 28 on field goals with a long of 51 yards. Punter Taylor Hintze averaged 40.2 yards on 46 punts, with 11 landing inside the 20-yard line. Gregory graduated from ECU in May 2016 with a degree in business administration and a cumulative grade-point average of 3.22. He had a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars before embarking on his coaching career. Gregory started his collegiate career at Alabama, where he was a member of the 2012 Crimson Tide team that defeated Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game. NC State also hired a pair of individuals to help in recruiting and the program's creative team. Munday Tatum was hired as the new director of recruiting operations. She had been at University of West Georgia as the executive assistant to head coach David Dean, where she handled a number of duties, including several related to recruiting. She also was a student assistant at Georgia College, where she earned a degree in communication/media studies, and then became a graduate assistant in football operations for 15 months at Georgia Southern. She is the daughter of Mississippi Delta Community College head coach Jeff Tatum. Meanwhile, Chanelle Smith-Walker is departing Baylor to re- place Tyler McEntire as the director of creative media at NCSU. McEntire left following the season to accept the same job at Louisville. She also was director of digital marketing and creative services for Southern Mississippi athletics in 2017, where she was previously a graduate assistant. Smith-Walker graduated from Elon in 2015, where she was a standout volleyball player with her twin sister, Danielle. Her brother Joe also played football at Army. ■ Red And White Notebook Wolfpack Football's Support Staff Gets Boost Pack Bits • NC State cross country coach Laurie Henes was promoted to be the head coach of the Wolfpack's women's track and field program Jan. 7. Longtime head coach Rollie Geiger took on the role of director of track and field. "We're grateful for Laurie's continued contribu - tions to the NC State track and field program and that we can expand the scope of her role," NC State direc- tor of athletics Debbie Yow said. "This promotion reflects our gratitude and commitment, and we're thrilled that she will lead our women's program." Henes is in her 27th year on the NC State track and field staff, and has served as associate head coach for the track and field programs since 2016. "I'm so thankful to Debbie and the administration for their continued confidence and support, and I look forward to the opportunity to lead our women's program," Henes said. "I'm grateful to Coach Geiger for giving me the chance to start my coaching career as a graduate assistant here at NC State and for his leadership throughout my career here. "I feel incredibly fortunate to be at such an amaz- ing university surrounded by outstanding coaches, student-athletes and support staff, and I am excited to continue to help the program reach its goals." Henes has helped guide NC State's women's dis- tance runners to 37 All-America certificates, a na- tional title and 30 ACC titles on the track since joining the staff in 1992. • NC State sophomore midfielder Manny Perez gave up his last two years of eligibility to sign a 3.5- year contract to play with Celtic F.C. of the Scottish Premiership Jan. 31. As a part of the agreement, the 6-0, 163-pounder from Garner, N.C., has been loaned back to local club North Carolina FC of the United Soccer League (USL). "This is a huge opportunity for me," Perez told GoPack.com. "A lot of people in my hometown are really happy for me and excited for me. It's the right move for the way that I want to continue my soccer development. Celtic is a great place to be and I'm very excited to continue my career as a soccer player. "Being at NC State for two years has helped me so much and I'm absolutely going to miss this place a lot." Perez started 28 of 29 matches during his two years in Raleigh, and scored six goals and recorded nine assists. He earned ACC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-ACC honors in 2017. He was then named earned third-team all-league this past fall for the 10-7-3 Wolfpack. He had one goal and five assists with seven shots on goal in 14 games played. • NC State women's basketball signee Jakia Brown- Turner of Oxon Hill Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNa - mara was named to the McDonald's All-American Game, which will be played March 27 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 in Atlanta. Turner, who broke the school record of 1,715 ca- reer points Feb. 3, is the first female Wolfpack signee named to the prestigious game since Amber White in 2006. ESPN.com ranks the 6-0 Brown-Turner as the No. 4 wing and No. 17 overall player nationally, while Pros- pectsNation.com lists her as the No. 5 wing and No. 21 overall prospect in the class of 2019. She picked NC State over West Virginia and Maryland. Bishop McNamara was 27-2 overall and ranked No. 3 in the country by espnW as of Feb. 22. Sophomore midfielder Manny Perez — who notched six goals and recorded nine as- sists in 29 matches over two seasons at NC State — gave up his last two years of eligibility to play professionally overseas. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS