The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER i t h j u n i o r d i s - t a n c e r u n n e r K a te ly n Tu o hy ro l l i n g u p n a - t i o n a l c h a m - p i o n s h i p s a n d awards through- out the 2022-23 school year, the question was posed about the greatest year of individ- ual accomplishments in NC State history. Tuohy won the 5,000-meter crown at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the individual cross country title in the fall, while leading the Wolfpack women's team to its sec- ond consecutive title. She won the Wolfpack women's first two NCAA indoor track and field champion- ships in February, in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races. She now owns four NCAA records and has taken a bottle of Wite-Out to the NC State record book. At the NCAA Outdoor Champi- onships in June, Tuohy attempted to become the first woman to win both the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races. She ultimately fell short of that goal when she finished seventh in the 1,500 and withdrew from the 5,000, but her showing in Austin, Texas, did nothing to diminish one of the best yearlong performances ever by a n i n d iv i d u a l Wolfpack student- athlete. Tuohy's accomplishments have put her in the rarefied air that only a handful of NC State athletes have ever breathed. Two of the greatest of those seasons were by other distance runners who helped establish the cross country and track programs that now rank among the best in the nation — Julie Shea and Betty Springs. Shea won seven individual national titles, including three in one 24-hour period in 1980, just after NC State be- gan sponsoring women's athletics un- der their governing body at the time, the Association of Intercollegiate Ath- letics for Women. Along with her sister Mary Shea, All-Americans Joan Benoit and Springs, Shea helped the Wolfpack win back-to-back AIAW cross country championships in 1979 and '80. Springs was part of both titles and also won the first women's event ever sponsored by the NCAA, the women's cross country race, when it took over as the national governing body for wom- en's intercollegiate sports in 1981. What other Pack athletes should be recognized for outstanding indi- vidual performances? Men's basketball player David Thompson could have four entries on such a list. Not only was he the ACC Player of the Year in each of his three varsity seasons, but he was the national player of the year as a junior and senior. Center Tommy Burleson's senior year could rank among the best in school history, if only for the way he played at the 1974 ACC Tourna- ment. Other All-America athletes could be recognized for the way they car- ried their team to greater glory, such as men's basketball forward Ronnie Shavlik in 1956 or women's basketball player Elissa Cunane in 2021-22. The following list, however, is more devoted to one-year indi- vidual accomplishments than in- dividuals who led their teams to sustained or one-year success. David Fox (1993) and Cul- len Jones (2006), men's swimming B a c k w h e n c o a c h e s W i l - lis Casey and Don E a s t e r l i n g w e r e o v e r s e e i n g t h e m e n 's sw i m m i n g a n d d iv i n g tea m during the 1950s, '60s and '70s, the Wo l f p a c k o f t e n overwhelmed op- ponents with the remarkable depth of talent they recruited. In recent years, head coach Braden Holloway has reestablished the domi- nance those coaches had over the ACC and in both national and international competitions. Holloway has produced more national champions and Olympi- ans than the other two combined. Two individual swimmers stand out for their single-season, record-setting accomplishments: sprinters Fox and Jones, both of whom won NCAA free- style titles in their final collegiate races Cornerback David Amerson turned in one of the most impactful defensive performances in NC State history during the 2011 season. His 13 interceptions shattered school and ACC records. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS W 2022-23 YEAR IN REVIEW BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASONS SINGULAR SENSATIONS NC State Has Provided A Platform For A Succession Of Great Individual Accomplishments