The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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TRACKING THE PACK 18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY THE NUMBERS Sponsored by Colony Tire & Service www.colonytire.com 3rd Nationally is where MatScouts ranked NC State wrestling's incoming recruiting class. It is the third consecutive top-five group inked by Pat Popolizio's program, according to the outlet, making the Wolfpack the only squad in the land to earn that distinction. The class is led by No. 6 (overall class ranking) Dylan Fishback, a projected 197-pounder from Ohio. He is joined by six other top-200 prospects: No. 13 Matt Singleton (174/184 from Georgia), No. 28 Jackson Arrington (141/149 from Pennsylvania), No. 39 Chase Horne (285 from Georgia), No. 111 Finn Solomon (141 from Pennsylvania), No. 172 Troy Hohman (125 from Pennsylvania) and No. 186 Tommy Curran (149 from Illinois). The Pack and No. 1 Ohio State were the only schools to land four top-40 recruits. "NC State brings in an absolute army of reinforcements," MatScouts noted. "Consider that Fishback, Singleton, Arrington and Horne were all within the top three recruits in this class at their weight. Fishback and Singleton could be considered No. 1s." 5 Home runs by the Wolfpack baseball team in a 15-10 road victory against 11th-ranked Louisville on April 23. Freshmen Payton Green and Jacob Cozart, sophomore LuJames Groover III, redshirt junior Josh Hood and super senior J.T. Jarrett all went deep in the win. The homers tied a season-high for the Wolfpack, who also had five in their opener, a 24-6 victory over Evansville on Feb. 18. 9 TH NC State's position in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings at the conclusion of the winter athletics sea- son. The Wolfpack had amassed 644 points as of mid-April, including 410 points in the winter sports. NC State's top-scoring team was the men's swimming squad, which placed fourth at the NCAA Championships and received 80 Directors' Cup points. The women's swimming team earned 75 points after placing fifth at nationals, while women's basketball (73), women's indoor track and field (69) and wrestling (67.5) also lifted NC State in the team standings. Michigan was leading the Directors' Cup with 1,000.25 points. $1 million Gift from Val and Skip Valentine to the stadium enhancement project that is set to transform Doak Field at Dail Park. NC State is looking to upgrade the playing surface, scoreboard, lights, sound system, bullpen, locker room, weight room, and batting and pitching facilities. In addition, there will be a range of improvements aimed at making the gameday experience more enjoyable for fans, including new seating options and upgraded concessions. The Valentines are longstanding supporters of NC State baseball and were eager to help get the stadium project off the ground. "I wanted to do my part to support head coach Elliott Avent and the Wolfpack baseball program so that we can reach greater heights in the future," Val Valentine said. "On paper, Coach Dave Doeren has everything he needs to win the ACC. He enters his 10th sea- son as the second-winningest coach in school history and has had three nine-win seasons, more than any other coach in program history. There are doubts, though, about whether he can take the program to the top of the ACC and open the door to playoff consideration. NC State beat Clemson last year but lost close road games to Miami and Wake Forest. If Doeren is going to push the program onto the national stage, this is the perfect season to do it." — Heather Dinich, ESPN senior writer, in an examination of "sleepers to watch" in each of the Power Five conferences "When he came in the building [to meet with members of the Carolina Panthers' staff], it was like a bolt of energy. He's just really a special person to go along with his physical style of play. There's no doubt that he can pass set, run block. He's got all those tools. But I also believe in the person that he is. He's right here in Charlotte. He went to Providence Day. This is going to be a special place for him." — Carolina coach Matt Ruhle after the Panthers selected NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft "You talk about entertaining offensive tackles to watch, in the history of me doing this which is about 45 years, this kid is right up there to me near the top of the list. He just destroys people. He plays an aggressive brand of football. He plays up to the whistle. This kid really came ready to play every week. The improvement came as a pass blocker. … He showed tremen - dous ability to keep defensive ends from the quarterback. That improvement signaled to me he could be a great pro right away." — ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on Ekwonu "He's got the hands of a heavyweight and the feet of a lightweight. … Once he gets his hands on you, it's over. … Get him up to the second level and watch bodies go flying with Ickey Ekwonu." — NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah QUOTING THE PACK "They're really motivated. I think they've heard about it since we got back, the way-too-early everything. We watched that happen across the road at that other school. We understand that if you don't take care of business, it doesn't matter what people say about you. So, our guys have a chip on their shoulder. … We didn't get to the ACC championship last year. We have a lot to prove, still. I think you'll see a very motivated roster when they get back out there." — DAVE DOEREN on his players' response to the team's heightened expectations this year 4 Number of top-six NFL Draft picks that NC State has produced in the past 20 years. That list includes quarterback Philip Rivers (fourth to the New York Giants in 2004), defensive end MARIO WILLIAMS (first to Houston in 2006), defensive end Bradley Chubb (fifth to Denver in 2018), and now Ikem Ekwonu, who went sixth overall to the Carolina Panthers on April 28. Only six schools have more top-six picks over that same span than the Wolfpack: LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Georgia. PHOTO BYJASON IVESTER