The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK POST PLAYER KYLE WASHINGTON TRANSFERS NC State sophomore post player Kyle Washington announced April 15 that he was transferring from the men's basketball team. The 6-9, 230-pound Washington will have two years of eligibility remaining and will be sitting out next year per NCAA transfer rules. He started 18 games and averaged 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.8 minutes per game for the 22-14 Wolfpack. ESPN. com reported that at least 20 schools have contacted Washington. Washington fell out of the starting lineup Feb. 14 in the 74-65 win at Louisville and didn't play at all versus Virginia Tech Feb. 21 and at Clemson March 3. How - ever, he did come alive when called upon in the NCAA Tournament. He had nine points and four rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in the 66-65 comeback win over LSU in the NCAA Tournament March 19, and then had 11 points in nine minutes in the 75-65 loss to Louisville in the Sweet 16 March 27. Washington had a pair of double-doubles in points and rebounds against Louisiana Tech Dec. 23, and at Virginia Jan. 7, and scored at least 10 points in nine contests. Washington scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 66-61 road loss at Purdue Dec. 2, and later matched his high points total with 17 in the 81-79 loss versus UNC Jan. 17. Rivals.com ranked the Champlin, Minn., native as the No. 93 overall player in the class of 2013. The Howard Pulley traveling team product attended Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy for his post-graduate sea - son, and picked NC State over Washington, Ohio State and Iowa State. Washington earned a starting spot in 25 games his freshman year, and averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game. DEFENSIVE END TY LINTON PURSUES PILOT DREAMS Sophomore defensive end Ty Linton didn't have the typical path to become an NC State football player. The former Charlotte Christian standout in football and baseball came to NCSU after he played three years of minor league baseball for the Arizona Diamond- backs. He was taken in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and decided to try college football once again after his baseball career ended. The 25-year-old Linton arrived as a linebacker with the Wolfpack in January 2014, but suffered a season- ending torn ACL. After going through drills this spring, he will enroll at Middle Tennessee State's aeronautical science program, without ever officially playing a down for the Pack. "My dream has always been to become a pilot," Lin- ton said. "My mom, dad and two sisters are in the flight industry so it's always been a passion of mine. I'm 25 years old with two knee surgeries behind me and no ambition to play football at the next level, so it's time for me to start thinking about my career. "I want to thank Coach [Dave] Doeren and the Wolfpack family for the opportunity to be a part of this program. I've met a lot of great people in a short time and consider my NC State teammates to be my brothers." Doeren had recruited Linton when he was the de - fensive coordinator at Wisconsin. "I'm proud of Ty for achieving admission to flight school," Doeren said. "He came here to follow his dreams and I have loved being a part of his career. He will be a very successful professional." WOMEN'S TENNIS ADDS TWO SIGNEES Five-star recruits Claudia Wiktorin and Amanda Rebol have signed a National Letter of Intent to join the women's tennis program for the 2015-16 season. With Wiktorin and Rebol, this makes four to join the program in the fall. Blue-chip recruit Bianca Mol- dovan and top international player Barbara Mancera inked in the early signing period. Head coach Simon Earnshaw's initial prospects mark the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. TennisRecruiting.net listed the class No. 21 in the country. "As we work through what will be our first and pos - sibly most important recruiting class, [assistant coach] Gina {Suarez-Malaguti] and I have really tried to find girls that first and foremost want to represent NC State and fully understand the commitment necessary for us to achieve program goals," Earnshaw said. Wiktorin, a native of Davidson, N.C., has been listed as high as No. 25 nationally, and is currently rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 3 prospect in North Carolina. "Claudia was someone who from the moment I accepted the position was a primary target for the program, not just because of what she has achieved up to this point in her career, but it's paramount for us to showcase North Carolina's best talent," Earnshaw said. "We are extremely excited for this to be a real - ity and to assist her in achieving her goals now and after college. "Claudia currently is around some of the best play- ers in the world day in, day out. She has seen first hand and knows what it takes to achieve that level and should come in and immediately be an impact player." Rebol, who will arrive in Raleigh from Duluth, Ga., checks in at No. 7 among her class in Georgia, and has been ranked as high as No. 59 in the class of 2015 national rankings. "Amanda Rebol's passion, work ethic and athleti - cism are exactly what I look for in a recruit and we are fortunate to be able to have her represent the Wolfpack," Earnshaw said. "With her experience and enthusiasm, I expect Amanda to be a huge contributor to the program. It's going to be fun for everyone to work with her and help her maximize her potential to become a great player." WOLFPACK WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER TURNS PRO NC State women's soccer defender Franziska Jaser signed a professional contract with a club in one of the top women's leagues in the world. The native of Burgau, Germany, will be joining SC Freiburg of the Women's Bundesliga ahead of the 2015-16 season. Jaser was a member of the U20 World Cup-winning German side in August 2014, and joined NC State prior to the Aug. 29 match at Georgetown. Jaser started 17 straight contests for the Wolfpack, and tied for the team lead with three assists on the season and went the full 90 minutes (and occasional extra time) on 14 occasions throughout the year. "I'm happy for Franziska," NC State head coach Tim Santoro said. "We hate to see her go, but this decision is something we knew was always a possibility and we'll continue to follow her progress. "She played a lot of soccer over the last eight months and developed her game by seeing another style of play, playing a different position and getting a lot of minutes in our matches." ■ Red And White Notebook Sophomore Kyle Washington started 18 games this season for the Pack, averaging 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN