The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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26 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK NC STATE'S 2014 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE UNVEILED NC State will kick off its 2014 season against Georgia Southern Aug. 30 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack will play their first four games against non-conference opponents, with three at Carter-Finley Stadium. NCSU plays its first road game against South Florida Sept. 13 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., and then opens the ACC slate with the league's top two teams in 2013. NCSU hosts defending national and ACC champion Florida State Sept. 27. The 14-0 Seminoles could be the preseason No. 1 team in the country. NC State follows that contest by playing Oct. 4 at Clemson, which went 11-2 last year. NC State will play Oct. 18 at ACC newcomer Louisville, which went 12-1 last year while playing in the American Athletic Conference. The Wolfpack closes the regular season against rivals Wake Forest Nov. 15 and at North Carolina Nov. 29. UNC had traditionally closed its sched - ule with Duke, but that changes this fall. Head coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack football team started spring practice March 4 and conclude with the Kay Yow Spring Game April 12. The Wolfpack will have nine practices in March and five in April leading up to the spring game. Doeren also made a few changes to his coaching staff following the conclusion of last year's 3-9 season. Former Vanderbilt assistant coach George Barlow has been hired to be the Wolfpack's cornerbacks coach, while Cullen Homolka was hired as NCSU's new director of player personnel. In addition, running backs coach Des Kitchings added the recruiting coordinator title, defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen added run game coordinator for the defense, and former NC State linebacker star Dantonio Burnette has been promoted to assistant head strength and condition - ing coach. NC STATE STUDENT-ATHLETES EARN ALL-ACC ACADEMIC HONORS The NC State football team had six players earn All- ACC Academic honors, and the Wolfpack women's soc- cer team and volleyball squad also had players earn spots on their respective teams. Senior linebacker and special teams standout Zach Gentry (business administration), guard Andy Jomantas (sport management), quarterback Brandon Mitchell (fam- ily and youth development), fullback Tyler Purvis (econom- ics), quarterback Bryant Shirreffs (business administration) and cornerback Jack Tocho (business administration) all earned spots on the All-ACC Academic football team. Only Duke had more players, and six is the most for NC State since 1971. Pack senior middle blocker Brie Merriwether was named to the volleyball All-ACC Academic team for the third straight year. The Orlando, Fla., native graduated in December with a degree in biological sciences and is cur - rently enrolled in chiropractic school at Life University in Marietta, Ga. She completed her undergraduate degree with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.986, high- lighted by a perfect 4.0 in her last two semesters. Merriwether garnered Capital One Academic All- America Division I Volleyball Team honors in December, after being named to the All-District Team for the second straight year the previous month. Zach Gentry's younger sister, Caroline Gentry, was joined by Meagan Proper on the women's soccer all-ac- ademic team. Gentry and Proper each earned the honor for the second time in their careers. Both student-athletes were also named to the team following the conclusion of the 2012 season. DONTAE JOHNSON PERFORMS WELL AT NFL COMBINE Former NC State defensive back Dontae Johnson checked in at 6-2, 200 pounds and ran an unofficial 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis Feb. 22-25. Johnson bench-pressed 225 pounds 12 times at the combine, which tied for 23rd among defensive backs. His arm length measured in at 31 1/2 inches, and his hands were 8 5/8. Johnson has a 5.32 grade on NFL.com, which translates to a prospect who could be an NFL backup with special teams potential. Johnson started 28 games for the Wolfpack at three different positions — cornerback, free safety and nickel outside linebacker — and finished with 82 tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble and five passes defended his senior year. He started the first five games at cor - nerback, but moved to free safety following the season- ending knee injury to starter Jarvis Byrd in the sixth game. "Some teams have talked to me about moving to safety, but mainly they are just trying to figure out my knowledge of the game and figuring out what is best for me at the next level," said Johnson at the NFL Combine. "I'm com- fortable playing either or." Johnson, who played in the Senior Bowl Jan. 25 in Mo- bile, Ala.. said the Green Bay Packers were among the NFL teams he talked to at the game. "It was a great discussion, and they picked my brain apart," Johnson said. "They were trying to understand if I knew my defense inside-out, whether at corner or safety." The 2014 NFL Draft takes place May 8-10. NEWLY CREATED ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR POST FILLED Fred Demarest was named NC State's associate athlet- ics director for communications and marketing Feb. 4. Demarest brings 20 years of professional experience, gained at two Southeastern Conference institutions, to this newly created position for the Wolfpack. Demarest will lead and manage the creative develop- ment and delivery for NC State athletics' overall commu- nications and marketing efforts, while ensuring alignment and collaboration with the university's messaging efforts. He will also oversee the creation, content and execution of integrated marketing and promotions strategies aimed to increase brand awareness, revenue generation and at- tendance for NC State athletics. Additionally, he will serve as the department's lead spokesperson and media contact on most non-sport related issues. A Scotch Plains, N.J., native, Demarest has spent the last 12 years at the University of Florida, where most recently he served as assistant athletics director for strategic com- munications and new media. Demarest served as the primary publicist for Florida's men's basketball team from 2002-11, a period when the program claimed the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Tournament titles, making the Gators the only squad in the last 20 years to win back-to-back crowns. From 1995-2002, Demarest worked in the sports in- formation office at LSU, where he was the secondary contact for the football program and the primary contact for seven other sports. He worked with eight national championship teams at LSU from 1995-2002. ALEX MARTINEZ DRAFTED IN MLS THIRD ROUND NC State men's soccer player Alex Martinez was se- lected in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft by Sport- ing Kansas City with the No. 57 overall pick. Martinez, a two-year starter for the Wolfpack after transferring from High Point, earned a spot on the All- ACC third team. He had eight assists and a pair of goals in 2013. That campaign followed a junior season that saw Martinez become the first Wolfpack player to record double-digit goals and assists since 1991. "We're pleased for Alex and our program," NC State head coach Kelly Findley said. "Alex has worked hard and progressed over the last two years. We're excited to see what he does with this opportunity. We expect nothing but continued success from him." Martinez is the first Wolfpack player to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft since Tyler Lassiter in 2011. The Pack has had a handful of former players drafted through the years, including the pair of Aaron King and John Queeley, both selected in 2006. Other recent selections include Korede Aiyegbusi in 2010, Haddon Kirk in 2007 and El Hadj Cisse in 2008. PAIR OF NC STATE GREATS ELECTED TO N.C. SPORTS HALL OF FAME Former NC State basketball player and assistant coach Eddie Biedenbach and the late Frank Weedon, who was the Wolfpack's senior associate athletics director and sports information director for many years, were elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame for the class of 2014. The class will be enshrined at the 51st annual in- duction banquet May 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Biedenbach was an assistant coach at NC State from 1970-78 and 1993-96, and is currently an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington. He was the Wolfpack's men's bas- ketball MVP his senior year and a two-time All-ACC selection. Weedon passed away Sept. 2 after five decades promot- ing the university. He retired from NCSU in 1996, but re- mained in the department for another 15 years. The press box at Doak Field at Dail Park is named in his honor, and he was named the 2008 recipient of the Marvin "Skeeter" Francis Award by the ACC Sports Media Association. ■ Red And White Notebook NC STATE'S 2014 SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug. 30 Georgia Southern (Wolfpack Club Day) Sept. 6 Old Dominion (Ag Day) Sept. 13 at South Florida Sept. 20 Presbyterian Sept. 27 Florida State Oct. 4 at Clemson Oct. 11 Boston College (Hall of Fame Day) Oct. 18 at Louisville Nov. 1 at Syracuse Nov. 8 Georgia Tech (Homecoming) Nov. 15 Wake Forest Nov. 29 at North Carolina * Game times yet to be announced JOHNSON 18,20,22,24,26.Tracking The Pack.indd 26 2/25/14 3:49 PM