The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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124 ■ THE WOLFPACKER As one of the top collegiate wrestlers in the nation, Gwiazdowski has trained at the Olympic Training Center before, and they asked the big man there to help prepare U.S. National Team members who were competing in the World Cup. "Those guys that are wrestling out there, I've gotten a lot from them," he explained. "Tervel [Dlagnev, a two-time bronze med- alist at the World Championships and U.S. Olympian] has helped me a ton. He had a big tournament coming up, and I figured I'm not going to be out of shape. I'm still a week out from wrestling and I can start tap- ping into freestyle [the international style of wrestling]." The Wolfpacker said he took missteps last offseason and is determined to cor- rect them this time around. He's focused on helping himself come closer to goals beyond collegiate competition, like quali- fying for the U.S. National Team. "Last year, I took three weeks off and I regretted it a little bit," he explained. "I was a little too much out of shape." Another change from last year is that Gwiazdowski competed in the U.S. Open this May, which was a tournament he skipped in 2014 and which came just over six weeks after the NCAA Championships. He lost to Dlagnev and defaulted his third- place match to take fourth, but the perfor- mance was still good enough to qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials. "Other than that, I think everything is go- ing to stay the same," he said. "I'm going to be traveling, but I've still got to stay on the mat and learn more." "That just says what he's trying to do for next year," Popolizio added. "To me, it's extremely important that he's willing and able to do those kind of things." Follow The Leader "Gwiz" sets an impeccable example for his teammates. If an NSCU grappler wants the blueprint for success, they don't have to look far for an example, according to the coach. Best Of The Rest 1. Simonas Bilis, Swimming — As a junior, Bilis was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Male Swim- mer of the Year after winning the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle events in the ACC Championships and finishing second in the 100 and third in the 50 at the NCAA Championships. Bilis became the first ACC male swimmer to break 19 seconds in the 50 free. 2. Jonathan Addison, Track and Field — The rising senior was named the ACC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after finishing fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump to earn first- team All-America honors. He was also named the ACC Co-Field MVP at the conference's Indoor Championships after taking first in the high jump and silver in the long jump. The USATFCCCA selected Addison as the Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year in indoor track. 3. Trevor Lacey, Basketball — In his one year playing in a Wolfpack uniform, Lacey left a lasting impression. He led the Pack in scoring at 15.7 points per game and was named the team MVP. He was tabbed as a second-team All-ACC performer by the league media and was a third-team selection by the coaches. 4. Logan Ratledge, Baseball — Ratledge led NC State in nearly offensive statistical category during his final season in Raleigh: batting average (.329), home runs (10), doubles (19), runs scored (53), stolen bases (11), walks (32), on-base percentage (.431) and hits (76). He was named third-team All-ACC and was the first Pack player selected in the MLB Draft when picked by the Pirates in the 13th round. 5. Jacoby Brissett, Football — The rising fifth-year senior had a breakthrough first season as a starting quarterback. He threw for 2,606 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions, and also rushed for 529 yards and three scores. When you add his 20-yard reception in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl win, Brissett's mark of 3,155 yards of total offense is seventh most all time in a season in school history. He is the first State quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 500 yards in a season. 6. Brian Brown, Baseball — The unexpected ace of the staff was named to the Baseball America Freshman All-America team after going 7-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 15 starts. He gave up just 59 hits in 79 2 ⁄3 innings and struck out 78 batters in his rookie campaign. 7. Anton Ipsen, Swimming — The rising sophomore has a bright future in Raleigh after a strong rookie season during which he was named the ACC Male Freshman of the Year. Ipsen won the ACC championship in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle distance swims. He finished fifth in the 1,650 at the NCAA Championships to earn first-team All-America honors and was an honorable mention All-American in the 500 after a 10th-place finish. He set school records in both distances. 8. Kevin Jack, Wrestling — A full season would have likely landed Jack higher on the list. He was named the ACC Freshman of the Year after finishing fifth at 141 pounds in the NCAA Championships. Jack competed in only three duals and the postseason after burning his redshirt. 9. Robbie Mudge, Tennis — In his final season in Raleigh, Mudge received his third straight second-team All-ACC honor. He won a team-high five matches against ranked opponents, and Mudge's combined 51 singles and doubles wins were also most on the team. 10. Holden Fender, Soccer — The rising senior impressed from his midfield spot with a co-team-high four assists. Fender also scored a goal in his second season in Raleigh after transferring in from UCLA. He was named third-team All-ACC. — Matt Carter "That just makes an incredible statement of what kind of athlete he truly is. Anybody that can go undefeated and win back-to-back national titles is a special person, and he has shown that." ■ Wolfpack head coach Pat Popolizio Redshirt junior shooting guard Trevor Lacey was named the team MVP and earned second- team All-ACC accolades from the league's media after averaging 15.7 points per game. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN