The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/554771
SEPTEMBER 2015 ■ 15 TRACKING THE PACK David Cooke, Men's Golf The rising senior from Bolingbrook, Ill., won the 2015 Illinois Open in Long Grove, Ill., at the Royal Melbourne Country Club, firing a nine-under-par 63 in the final round on July 23 to cruise to a five-stroke victory over his nearest competitor. That marked the largest win for an amateur in the Illinois Open since 1977. He finished the tournament with a course-record 16-under-par scorecard. Cooke led the Pack last season with a 72.2-stroke average and won two individual titles. He was named to the 2015 PING All-Region Team. Tommy DeJuneas, Baseball DeJuneas got the call from USA Baseball this summer and participated on the Collegiate National Team in a five-game series against the Cuban National Team in July. The rising sophomore from Charlotte did a little bit of everything for State last season, but most notably stood out for his performance on the mound. As a rookie, he posted a 1.82 earned run average in 24 games, throwing 39.2 innings and recording a team-high six saves. DeJuneas allowed just 20 hits and struck out 57. He also batted .257 in 35 at-bats with a homer and four runs batted in. Ian Dempster, Men's Tennis It has been a successful summer for the rising junior from Plano, Texas. He partnered with now-former Wolf - pack standout Robbie Mudge to win the doubles titles as the City of Asheville Open Tennis Championships and the Central Virginia Invitational Tennis Tournament. He also won a singles and doubles title on the ITA Summer Circuit at Virginia Tech. Dempster is hoping to take on a larger role this upcoming season after going 4-2 in dual singles action last spring. Nick Gwiazdowski, Wrestling If the two-time defending NCAA heavyweight wres - tling champion had not already stamped his mark on the sport, he did so with a dramatic win in the finals of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, Spain, on July 13. He fell behind 8-0 in the championship match versus his rival from China, Deng Zhiwei, but Gwiazdowski evened the scored at 8-8 before getting a pin with 38 seconds left. It represented Gwiazdowski's first international tournament win. Elisha Hande, Women's Tennis Hande's academic accomplishments continued to be celebrated during the summer when she became the first member of NC State's women's tennis program to be named a Capital One Academic All-American. Hande, a native of Cheltenham, England, graduated from NC State with a major in economics and minor in German while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. On the courts, she concluded her career with 38 doubles win, ninth- most ever at NC State, and was a four-year starter for the Pack. Rachel Mumma, Women's Diving The Harrisburg, Pa., native and rising fifth-year senior had the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju City, South Korea. She finished third in the preliminary of the one-meter dive and then took second place in her heat of the semifinals to advance to the championship round. Mumma concluded the competition with an eighth-place finish in the finals and was the lone representative of Team USA to reach that far. Mumma was an honorable mention All-American in the one-meter dive at the NCAA Championships last spring. ■ PACK PERFORMERS "I felt the unofficial was good enough. They beat Duke, and they were highly ranked. It shows how good of a coach, Coach [Mark] Gottfried is and what he runs. They are a tough team and have a lot of returning guys. The environment at that game was incredible with the fans and the students. It was just great." — Incoming freshman wing Maverick Rowan on how visiting unofficially for NC State's 87-75 win over Duke Jan. 11 impacted his college decision (TheWolfpacker.com) "[Maverick] Rowan's decision to reclassify to a 2015 graduate means that NC State now has a player to fill the void left behind by [Trevor] Lacey, and that means [NCSU coach] Mark Gottfried will again have a team that should be able to finish in the top half of the ACC. A potent shooter, the 6-6 Rowan should blend nicely on the perimeter with Cat Barber, West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson, and the twins — Caleb and Cody Martin." — Writer Jon Rothstein on the impact incoming fresh- man wing Maverick Rowan could have this season (CBSSports.com) "It's fun to be around all of the kids and the families and the fans. We can feel and feed off their excitement for our season, and it's great to give some time back to them. We really appreciate what they do for us on game day." — NC State head coach Dave Doeren on the excitement of meeting Wolfpack fans Aug. 9 (GoPack.com) "I still think we play in the toughest side of a conference of anybody right now. That's part of what goes into setting up the other part of our schedule. After this year, the conversation is going to end because of who we have going forward. So this is the last time they'll get to say that." — NC State coach Dave Doeren in response to Bruce Feldman of FOXSports.com ranking the Wolfpack's non-conference schedule the No. 1 softest slate in the country (The Raleigh News & Observer) "Just like any freshman, I want to play, and I want to do well. Whatever happens, happens. I'm just going to be prepared." ■ NC State rookie running back Johnny Frasier on the adjustment from Princeton (N.C.) High to college (The Raleigh News & Observer) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN QUOTING THE PACK