The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/141892
tracking the PACK ■PACK PEOPLE Quoting The Pack Megan Cyr,Volleyball It's hard to imagine the Canada native's final year being scripted any better. The departing senior from St. Andrews, Man., was named All-ACC and an honorable mention All-American in the fall while helping the volleyball squad reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. Cyr concluded the year by making Team Canada, announced May 29. Cyr will represent her native country at the World University Games in Russia July 6‑17. Josh Easley, Baseball The departing fifth-year senior enjoyed a memorable year for the Wolfpack on and off the diamond.The Weatherford, Texas, native went 7-2 with a 1.38 ERA out of the bullpen. He also was one of three players on the squad named to the 2013 All-ACC Academic Baseball Team. Easley was picked in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins, the highest selection this year by a representative of the baseball team. Nick Gwiazdowski, Wrestling Gwiazdowski redshirted this past year after transferring in from Binghamton University. Despite not competing for the Pack in an official capacity, the Delanson, N.Y., native still wrestled impressively throughout the year. He capped the campaign at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials June 21-23 in Stillwater, Okla. Gwiazdowski finished third in the heavyweight division and defeated two-time defending NCAA champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota twice along the way, including once by a 9-0 technical fall. Gwiazdowski just missed making the National Team by one spot. Marissa Kastanek, Women's Basketball The Omaha, Neb., native was first-team All-ACC last year, her final season at NCSU, finished eighth alltime in scoring with 1,650 career points and was one of the greatest shooters in NCSU women's basketball history. She also excelled off the court, too. Kastanek maintained a 4.000 GPA in psychology and received a sports postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA May 31, making her one of 174 student-athletes across the country to receive a $7,500 grant. Jamil Kelly, Wrestling Kelly, an assistant wrestling coach for the Pack, recently added one more distinction to his stellar career on the mat. Kelly was a 2004 silver medalist at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. This past summer, he was a support staff member for USA Wrestling at the London Olympic Games. Kelly, though, is also savvy off the mat. He was named the 2012‑13 Social Media Assistant Coach of the Year by Elite Level Sports Marketing and the National Wrestling Coaches Association. As of July 1, Kelly had 2,348 followers on Twitter. Sean Weber, Men's Tennis The rising senior from Winston-Salem, N.C., helped team with departing senior Dave Thomson to form one of the better doubles tandems in the NCAA. At one point, they were ranked as high as No. 10 in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Weber also owned the top grade-point average on the team among those with at least four semesters under their belt. Weber has a 3.625 GPA and is majoring in Biological Sciences. He and rising junior Austin Powell were named to the 2013 All-ACC Academic Team for men's tennis. photo by ken martin "I feel like I can compete [to start]. I'm a competitor. I've always been a competitor. I'm going to come and compete and give it my all, and basically let everything pan out." ■ Former NC State safety Earl Wolff of the Philadelphia Eagles (CSNPhilly.com) "I grew up playing a lot of sports, so a lot of these things I've done before. I've never been a baseball player, so I wasn't as good hitting the softball as I probably should've been, but it was still fun. It doesn't take much time. Everyone can find an hour in their day to do something for somebody." — NC State head football coach Dave Doeren on the "Dare Coach D" series of joining an NC State team for a day (ESPN.com) "He's a playmaker and he's hungry and he's got a chip on his shoulder. Those things usually equal what you want: production. I haven't seen anything that we've asked him to do that he hasn't been able to do yet — knock on wood. I hope he keeps going that way. I like the guy. I wish I had a lot more guys that understood how important it is to practice and play the way he does with the energy he has every day." — Doeren on fifth-year senior wide receiver Rashard Smith (Associated Press) "For Doeren, though, the stakes are also high, as beating UNC can also win over fans and recruits. Both [Larry] Fedora and Doeren have been tasked with rebuilding their respective programs, and Fedora is already a year ahead. Doeren could close the gap a bit with a win on Nov. 2." — Blogger Heather Dinich on picking NC State's Nov. 2 showdown with UNC as the Wolfpack's "most important game" (ESPN.com) "I saw the town I love, the school I love, I saw it embrace our ballclub, and that, to me, is what we tell them every day. Play hard, people will come see you play. Play hard and people will respect you. And win, they will love you even more." — NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent on expectations for next year (Associated Press) "Rodon, considered a serious candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, looked every inch the ace and top prospect in his Omaha debut. He mowed down a superb North Carolina offense with power and command, showing the form that already has major league front offices salivating." — Writer Matthew Leach on NC State pitcher Carlos Rodon possibly being the No. 1 pick in the 2014 MLB Draft (MLB.com) 20 ■ the wolfpacker 14-16,18,20,22-23.Tracking The Pack.indd 20 7/2/13 12:14 PM