The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1506671
TRACKING THE PACK SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 ■ 21 540 40 70 70 401 401 64 1 1 40 440 10 Min 10 Min 15 Min 20 Min 35 Min 15 Min 35 Min 10 Min Auburn-Knightdale Rd 10 Min 10 Min Rock Quarry Rd. Guy Rd. Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd New Hope Rd. Bethlehem Rd. 64 64 Old Knight Rd. Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Auburn-Knightdale Rd Grasshopper Rd. Old Garner Rd. Rock Quarry Rd. Old Garner Rd. Battle Bridge Rd. Raleigh Old Garner Rd. Old Garner Rd. Old Garner Rd. Old Garner Rd. Old Garner Rd. Rock Quarry Rd. Garner Clayton Knightdale Wake Forest Smithfield Willow Springs Benson 20 Min 20 Min Cary Holly Springs 20 Min 20 Min 20 Min 20 Min 20 Min Morrisville RTP Poole Rd. Fuquay-Varina 3224 Auburn-Knightdale Rd. Toll Free 1-866-708-2736 Raleigh, NC 27610 Phone (919) 661-8374 18 holes rated 4 1 /2 stars by Golf Digest Dependable, well-conditioned golf course Easily accessible from I-40, I-440, I-540, US-70, and US-64 Site of the 2008 Wolfpack Varsity Club All-Sports Reunion Golf Outing R I V E R R I D G E G O L F C L U B T e e T i m e s ( 9 1 9 ) 6 6 1 - 8 3 7 4 We are closer than you think... Awarded 4 1 /2 stars by Golf Digest, River Ridge Golf Club boasts scenic tee shots, challenging second shots, and perhaps the finest bentgrass greens in the Triangle area. River Ridge is one of the Best Places To Play in North Carolina, and the spectacular golf course is just minutes from downtown Raleigh. You don't have to travel far to experience great golf with superb conditions, all at affordable prices. River Ridge Golf Club – we're closer than you think. w w w . g o l f r i v e r r i d g e . c o m Welcome PACK PERFORMERS Kelsey Chmiel, Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Chmiel was named one of two ACC nominees in Au- gust for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The honor is bestowed annually on a graduated student-athlete who has distinguished herself academically, athletically and in the fields of service and leadership. Chmiel, a na- tive of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a nine-time All-American and will be looking to help the Wolfpack women's cross country team vie for its third consecutive NCAA championship this fall. She's also a four-time All-ACC Academic Team member who finished her undergraduate degree in veterinary science in two and a half years. Chmiel and Miami hurdler Lauryn Harris are the ACC's contenders for the Woman of the Year Award, with nine finalists to be chosen this fall and the winner to be announced at the NCAA convention in January 2024. LuJames Groover III, Baseball Following two All-ACC seasons with the Wolfpack, Groover was chosen in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft in July, going to the Arizona Dia- mondbacks with the 48th overall pick. An infielder from Morrow, Ga., Groover became the 21st NC State player to be chosen in the first two rounds of the MLB draft and the 123rd draftee from the Elliott Avent coaching era. Groover made 57 starts for the Wolfpack in 2023, leading the team with 76 hits, 48 runs scored, 13 home runs and 125 total bases. He tied for the team lead with 50 RBIs. Groover is currently with the Hillsboro (Ore.) Hops, Arizona's High-A affiliate in the Northwest League. Giovanni Izzo, Men's Swimming Competing at the World University Games in Chengdu, China, in early August, Izzo won four medals, including a first-place performance in the men's 50-meter free- style event. A graduate student from Bologna, Italy, Izzo finished in 22.17 seconds to capture the gold medal in the 50 free. The time was just shy of his personal best, 22.05 seconds, which he set in 2017. Representing his native country, Izzo also won silver medals as part of the mixed 4x100 freestyle relay and men's 4x100 medley relay teams. His final medal, a bronze, came in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay, an event in which he turned in a personal-best 48.56 split during the preliminaries. Izzo is an eight-time All-American at NC State. Matty Singleton, Wrestling Singleton captured third place in the 79-kilogram class at the U20 World Championships in August in Amman, Jordan. A sophomore from Moreland, Ga., Singleton earned a 9-7 decision over Ahmet Yagan of Turkey in the bronze medal match. Yagan had rallied from a 6-1 deficit to tie the match at 7-7, but Singleton regrouped and claimed the win. Singleton had won his first four matches of the tournament to reach the semifinal round, but a 16-6 loss to Sagar Jaglan of India ended his run and set up the battle with Yagan for third place. As a freshman at NC State last season, the four-time Georgia state champion went 8-5 overall and 1-1 in ACC competition at 174 pounds. — Matt Herb