The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519757
TRACKING THE PACK MAY/JUNE 2024 ■ 13 PACK PERFORMERS Daniel Diehl, Men's Swimming Diehl was named ACC Men's Swimming Freshman of the Year after an eye-opening debut season in which he posted four top-five finishes and won three medals at the league championship meet. A native of Cum- berland, Md., Diehl took second place in the 200-yard backstroke and was part of an 800 freestyle relay team that also claimed the silver medal. In addition, Diehl placed third in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 200 IM. At the NCAA Cham- pionships, he anchored the Pack's 800 freestyle relay team that finished ninth, and he was 15th in the 200 backstroke and 16th in the 200 IM to claim honor- able mention All-America honors. Trent Hidlay, Wrestling For the second time in his career, Hidlay was named ACC Wrestling Scholar- Athlete of the Year. The redshirt senior from Lewistown, Pa., is an eight-time Dean's List student and a five-time member of the All-ACC Academic Team. He was previ- ously honored as the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022, when he received his undergraduate degree in business administration. He's now working toward a master's degree in that same field. On the mat this year, Hidlay became only the 11th wrestler to win four ACC championships, adding a 197-pound title to the three he won previously at 184. He's also a five- time All-American and was NC State's top finisher at this year's NCAA Tourna- ment, placing second at 197. Amelia Rajecki, Women's Tennis With a three-set win over 14th-ranked Alexa Noel of Miami on April 5, Rajecki became only the fourth women's tennis player in NC State history to reach 100 career singles victories. A senior from Nottingham, England, Rajecki battled back against Noel, dropping the first set, 6-3, before rallying to take the next two, 6-4 and 6-0. In the process, she joined Adriana Reami (127), Anna Rogers (117) and Alana Smith (105) in the Wolfpack's 100-win club. Following NC State's loss to North Carolina in the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament on April 20, Rajecki's career record with the Wolfpack stood at 103-39 in singles play. Emily Shepard, Gymnastics A fifth-year senior from Olathe, Kan., Shepard was named gymnast of the year in both the ACC and NCAA Southeast Region. She put together an all-time great season for the Wolfpack, winning ACC Gymnast of the Week honors seven weeks in a row and becoming the only competitor to claim all-conference honors in all four events (bars, beam, floor, vault) as well as the all-around. Among her achievements this year, Shepard posted the best all-around score in program history at the Wolf- pack's dual meet at Clemson on Feb. 17, finishing with a score of 39.750. It was also the highest score ever by an ACC gymnast, eclipsing a 20-year-old record previously held by North Carolina's Courtney Bumpers. — Matt Herb 232 South White St. — Downtown Wake Forest WakeForestHardware.com — 919-556-3562 @BWhardware SINCE 1949 NORTH CAROLINA'S PREMIER TRAEGER DEALER