The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1389905
52 ■ THE WOLFPACKER pitch of the evening, NC State freshman shortstop Jose Torres sent a solo shot over the left-center field fence, giving the Pack a 3-2 lead it would ultimately hold on to. The win clinched the Wolfpack's ticket to Omaha, marking the program's third College World Series appearance in history. Female Coach Of The Year There were several great candidates for this superlative, but it's hard not to acknowl- edge the success head women's basketball coach Wes Moore has brought to the Wolf- pack program. In his eighth season in Raleigh, Moore led NC State to multiple program-first accom- plishments during the 2020-21 campaign. The Pack won the ACC Tournament for the second consecutive year in 2021, mark- ing the first back-to-back conference cham- pionships in program annals. After going 17-2 in the regular season, the Pack also earned the team's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A total of 118 women's basketball teams have faced the No. 1-ranked squad in the As- sociated Press poll twice in one season over the past 20 years, and NC State became just the third team during that stretch to defeat two top-ranked opponents in a single season. The Pack also became the first team to win both contests on the road and the first to claim both victories during the regular season. NC State first defeated top-ranked South Carolina 54-46 Dec. 3 in Columbia and then took down No. 1 Louisville 74-60 Feb. 1 at the KFC Yum! Center. "I had somebody tell me a few years ago when I first got here, 'There's a pecking order in women's basketball, and you'll never change that,'" Moore said after the Wolfpack's 58-56 win over Louisville in the championship game of the ACC Tournament. "Well, they were right. I didn't, but we've got some players that are trying to change that." Recruiting Class Of The Year In SwimSwam.com's rankings of the top male prospects for the 2021 class, five of the top 18 swimmers listed are coming to NC State — and the rankings don't include an international signee who has times good Female Game Of The Year Either of NC State's wins over top-ranked teams on the road in women's basketball would have sufficed. The Pack won 54-46 at South Carolina Dec. 3 and then 74-60 at Louisville Feb. 1. Both games were nationally televised by ESPN2, giving the program a boost of national exposure. But there's nothing like winning a title, and in a rematch with the Cardinals March 7 in Greensboro for the ACC championship, NC State was able to defend its crown from a year before thanks to some heroics by newcomer and senior guard Raina Perez. The graduate transfer from Cal State Fullerton nailed a jumper with 2.1 seconds left to break a 56-56 tie in what proved to be a thrilling game-winner. Senior guard Raina Perez delivered the women's basketball team's second consecutive ACC crown by knocking down a jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining to beat Louisville 58-56 in the title game. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS