The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/470359
58 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER F our years ago, a few seasons after NC State's men's tennis team had reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007, head coach Jon Choboy targeted three recruits to take his program to a new level: Beck Bond from Meriden, Conn.; Robbie Mudge from Winston-Sa- lem, N.C.; and Austin Powell from Muscle Shoals, Ala. All three were highly regarded. Mudge was tabbed a "blue-chip" prospect by the Tennis Recruiting Network, Powell a five- star recruit and Bond a four-star player. All three were ranked among the top 75 nationally. "A lot of trying to get the three of them here was the fact that we were recruiting the other two and that we were recruiting them as a group," Choboy remembered. The message to the three recruits from Choboy and the players remaining at NCSU from that memorable 2007 run was simple: "Set the standard here for overall performance." Four years later, those three are anchor- ing an NCSU lineup that Choboy believes has as much potential as any squad he has coached in Raleigh. On the cusp of its an- ■ PREVIEW MEN'S TENNIS Senior Austin Powell is a two-time All-ACC selection who has won at least 21 singles matches in all three years of his career. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP BIG GOALS The Wolfpack Hopes To Host An NCAA Regional ■ By The Numbers 3 Active streak of consecutive NCAA Champion- ships appearances by NC State, currently a school record. 12 National ranking at the end of February for the doubles team of senior Robbie Mudge and sophomore Ian Dempster. 76 Number of career doubles wins in tandems that involved Mudge through Feb. 24, good enough for fourth all time in school history and just 11 short of matching the most. 83 Career wins in fall and spring combined in singles action for senior Austin Powell, fifth all time in school history through Feb. 24.