The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
128 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Off the court, he assembled one of the best recruiting classes in school history, landing a group rated No. 8 nationally by ESPN.com and tops in the ACC (more on that later). Individual Male Performance Of The Year Senior Andreas Vazaios made history for the Pack this year, becoming the first swimmer at NC State to win back-to-back national titles in the same event. Vazaios used his trademark late rally to swim down the field in the 200 butterfly on the final day of action at the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas. Earlier in the meet, Vazaios had finished second in the 200 individual medley. Individual Female Performance Of The Year Women's basketball star Kiara Leslie, The Wolfpacker's Female Athlete of the Year, will leave a legacy for being clutch when her team needed it. A year ago in the second round of the NCAA Tourna- ment, Leslie had a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds against her former team, Maryland, in a 74-60 Wolfpack win at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh to clinch a Sweet 16 spot. This year, the Pack was back in Reyn- olds in tournament action once again. With Kentucky standing in the way of a repeat trip to the Sweet 16, Leslie dominated. She had yet another double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds to help NC State lead for nearly the entire game in a 72-57 win. Breakout Female Performer Of The Year Sophomore Sam Russ started 40 games as a freshman for the softball team and ac- quitted herself well, hitting .275 and going 17 of 17 on stolen bases. This season, she became one of the premier leadoff hitters in the ACC. The left fielder set the pace for the Pack in hits (56), batting average (.326), runs scored (42), triples (five) and on-base per- centage (.445). She also set a school record for stolen bases in a year with 32 and was named second-team All-ACC. Best Men's Team Win Against No. 1 North Carolina — which was 4-0 in the ACC at the time — the Wolf- pack men's soccer team put on a dramatic performance on Oct. 12 in Raleigh. In the 53rd minute, sophomore mid- fielder David Loera stole a pass and went on a solo run that resulted in the game's lone score. It was the only shot on goal for NC State, but Loera made it count in what was a 1-0 win over the Tar Heels. It would be the only ACC match UNC did not win during the regular season. Best Women's Team Win Facing No. 20 Tennessee in Raleigh in the second round of the NCAA Champion- ships, the Wolfpack women's tennis team rose to the occasion to score the Pack's first-ever trip to the Sweet 16. The Pack duo of Anna Rogers and Alana Smith, then ranked No. 7 nationally, beat Tennessee's ninth-ranked doubles tandem BREAKOUT MALE PERFORMER OF THE YEAR In 2017-18, Ian Shanklin competed three times in uniform for NC State in cross country and redshirted in track and field. He did not make his Wolfpack debut in cross country until the ACC Championships, but quickly made his mark by earning All-Southeast Regional honors and having the second-best finish for the Pack at the NCAA Championships. This fall, Shanklin was a mainstay for NC State. He was All-ACC after finishing seventh at the con- ference cross country meet, improved from 19th to 11th in the Southeast Region and was State's best finisher at the NCAA Championships while leading the Pack to 11th-place in the team standings. Then he shined in the track seasons, winning the 5,000-meter race and placing third in the 3,000 meters at the ACC Indoor meet. During the outdoor season, Shanklin was a second-team All-American in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 11th place. Sophomore Ian Shanklin earned All-ACC and All-Region accolades and helped the team place 11th nationally in cross country, was the ACC champion in the indoor 5,000 meters and then earned second-team All-America honors in the same event during the outdoor season. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS