The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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TRACKING THE PACK ■ Red And White Notebook Hired • NC State hired Robert Murphy as assistant athlet- ics director and director of sports medicine Dec. 1. Murphy had served as the director of sports medi- cine at Mercer University for the past 12 years. He will be responsible for coordinating the department's sports medicine program, including the overall opera- tion of training and rehabilitation facilities, supervising the prevention and treatment of athletic-related inju- ries to student-athletes, and the hiring and evaluation of all staff. Murphy will also work closely with the team physi- cians to ensure that Wolfpack student-athletes are provided with the highest quality care. "Robert has the experience required to be effective at this level of intercollegiate athletics and he has the passion for supporting student-athletes we expect of all administrators," NC State athletics director Debbie Yow said. "He will be a terrific addition to our staff." Murphy oversaw the health-care related needs of 14 Division I sports at Mercer, serving as an assistant athletics director since 2008. He was responsible for supervision of the strength and conditioning depart- ment and served on the university's Alcohol Task Force. Since 2000, Murphy has traveled the world as the head athletic trainer for USA Roller Sports at the World Championships in Spain, Germany, Portugal, Co- lombia and various sites in the U.S. He provided health care for all U.S. participants and staff for the sports of inline hockey, speed skating and rink hockey. Murphy holds certification by the National Athletic Trainers Association, the Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers and in sports massage. He has co-authored several articles that were published in the Journal of Athletic Training. • The NC State track and field program hired Dr. Mi- chael Young, who is the co-owner of the Triangle-based sports performance center Athletic Lab. Young will work with NC State's sprinters and hur- dlers and serve as a technical advisor for other event areas for coach Rollie Geiger. "I'm excited to join a program with the tremendous facilities, coaching staff and record for success of NC State," Young said. "I look forward to helping Wolfpack student-athletes and am honored by the opportunity to join Coach Geiger and his staff." Geiger predicts Young will make the Wolfpack track and field program better in the future. "Michael has been part of six national championship teams as a college coach," Geiger said. "He's knowl- edgeable about all aspects of track and field events. He has a lot of ideas on how we can improve in all events." Young started Human Performance Consulting in 2002, and has served as the chief sport scientist and director of sports performance ever since. Athletic Lab was later started as the company's official training center. As the coach of the company's elite track and field team (HPC Elite), he has coached a USA Track and Field (USATF) national champion, three USATF champi- onship medalists, 11 USATF championship finalists, one World Masters champion and 17 USATF championship qualifiers. Young also has coached athletes to the national or international level in skeleton, bobsled and Olympic weightlifting, and has served as a consultant for or- ganizations such as USA Track and Field, USA Speed 14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Men's basketball junior center DeShawn Painter (above) and senior gymnast Jess Panza were two of 49 national recipients of the 2011 Academic Momentum Award. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Skating, the Cary Police Department, the North Caro- lina Justice Academy and the Chinese Track and Field Association. Young currently serves as the athletic development coach and sport science advisor for the Carolina Rail- hawks, a professional soccer team based in Cary, N.C. Young previously coached track and field at three schools — Ohio University, Louisiana State and Army. LSU won six national championships while he was in Baton Rouge, La. International Competition • During December, NC State sophomore catcher Kirsty Grant was able to play softball in South Africa for the Canadian Junior National team in the Interna- tional Softball Federation (ISF) 19-and-under world championships. Grant, a biology major, worked with NC State pro- fessors and took all of her exams in November so that she might represent her country throughout the month of December in South Africa. "We are so excited that Kirsty gets to take part in this experience," NC State head softball coach Lisa Na- vas said. "It is a great honor to represent your country, and we are so proud of her. We wish her and Canada the best, except when they play the USA, of course." The Oakville, Ont., standout played at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College and will begin her first year for NC State when the regular season kicks off Feb. 10 versus Utah State in Athens, Ga. Honored • The NC State men's soccer team placed a pair of newcomers on TopDrawerSoccer.com's top 100 fresh- men list. Matt Ingram checked in at No. 61, and Zabarle Kollie was No. 80 on the national list. Ingram started 17 out of 20 games at outside midfield and had one goal and two assists. Kollie started nine games at forward and was second on the Wolfpack with eight points thanks to two goals and four assists. • NC State student-athletes Jess Panza, a senior gymnast, and men's basketball junior center DeShawn Painter earned recognition from the National Con- sortium for Academics and Sports and the Scholar Baller program as recipients of the 2011 Academic Momentum Award. Panza landed on the first team, while Painter made the third team. The pair represent two of 49 student- athletes selected from a national pool. The award recognizes student-athletes that show academic improvement and the impact each individual had on his or her classmates, teammates, advisors and professors. New Homes • A pair of former NC State basketball players are off to good starts at their new homes. Junior point guard Julius Mays, who played at NC State for two years, is av- eraging 10.4 points and 2.9 assists through nine games at Wright State. The Marion, Ind., native had 21 points at Florida Nov. 21 and 25 points and five three-pointers against Charlotte Nov. 26. Sophomore power forward Josh Davis of Raleigh is averaging 13.6 points, 10.4 rebound and 1.3 blocks per game for 9-1 Tulane. He has seven double-doubles for points and rebounds, including 11 points and 10 boards in a 57-52 win over Georgia Tech Dec. 3. • Three former Wolfpack football players — all se- niors — played for 9-3 North Alabama this year in Division II action. Cornerback DeAndre Morgan had 34 tackles and three interceptions, while outside line- backer John Ware had 47 tackles. Tight end Rashad Phillips also played for the Lions, but didn't catch a pass, and had one tackle. Former NC State fullback Cedric Hickman, who was featured in the Winston-Salem Journal in early December, had 32 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, and eight catches for 54 yards and three scores for 13-0 Winston-Salem State. Hickman and the Rams were still competing in the Division II playoffs as of Dec. 8.