The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536961
42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN C State's 2024-25 athletics year was filled with high- lights, yet another strong showing in a period of sus- tained success for the Wolf- pack. From the women's basketball team's 17th trip to the Sweet 16 to the track and field squad's four All-America per- formances at outdoor nationals, the Pack impressed on a national stage. Here are some of the highlights from NC State's past athletics year. Best Male Rookie Despite slotting in as NC State's third running back to start the season before being hampered for a couple weeks with a groin injury, Hollywood Smothers emerged as the team's top playmaker in the second half of the campaign. Smothers, who started the last six games, burst onto the scene with 67 carries for 457 yards and 5 touchdowns, paired with 16 receptions for 262 yards and 2 scores, over the final seven con- tests. "He's explosive, but he also has tre- mendous vision," NC State running backs coach Todd Goebbel said in Sep- tember. "Hollywood has the natural instinct to find open holes if it's not blocked perfectly." Smothers logged 87 receiving yards in back-to-back games against Syracuse and Cal, putting his elusiveness on dis- play in his first significant action of the season. From then on, he was the team's go-to ball carrier. Smothers had five games with at least 100 total yards down the stretch of the season. The Charlotte native set the tone to end his first season at NC State. Now, he's primed to continue to build off it in the years to come. Best Female Rookie Even though Zamareya Jones was a newcomer on a Wolfpack women's bas- ketball team that was well-stocked with veteran talent, the former McDonald's All-American found a way to carve out a role as a freshman. The Greenville, N.C., native averaged 7.1 points and 1.5 assists in 16.8 minutes across 30 appearances with the Wolf- pack. Jones' debut season was impressive from the start, including a team-best 16 points against No. 1 South Carolina in only the second game of her career. After that, Jones looked calm and comfortable coming off the bench for coach Wes Moore's squad. Jones was also vital in the Wolfpack's postseason run, totaling 13 points off the bench against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and scoring 12 points in her first 12 minutes against Michigan State in a second-round NCAA Tournament clash. Jones capped her freshman season with 13 points — 11 of which came in under eight minutes dur- ing the second quarter — in a Sweet 16 loss to LSU. As a three-point sniper, Jones knocked down 35 attempts from deep, the sev- enth-most by a freshman in program history. Best Male Team Performance When the NC State baseball team started to heat up in April, it had a key opportunity to make a statement with No. 2 Clemson visiting Doak Field. The Pack had won 10 of 11 games going into the massive weekend tilt against the Ti- gers, and that seemed to provide a burst of energy on the diamond. NC State was never threatened in the weekend series. It swept Clemson with 2024-25 YEAR IN REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR MAGIC MOMENTS NC State Enjoys Another Thrilling Athletics Year N Hollywood Smothers emerged as NC State's top ball carrier in the second half of his redshirt freshman season, finishing with 457 rushing yards. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL