The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK FORMER PACK PLAYERS TO PLAY OVERSEAS Three NC State men's basketball players are prepar- ing to begin their professional careers. Combo guard Trevor Lacey will start with VL Pesaro in the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy. The Huntsville, Ala., native began his college career at Alabama and trans- ferred to NC State, where he played last season as a redshirt junior. He averaged a team-high 15.7 points per game, to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, en route second-team All-ACC honors. Lacey, who elected to give up his final year of college eligibility, played with the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league team. He averaged 4.6 points and 15.8 minutes per game, but shot just 33 percent from the field and 1 of 10 from three-point range. Shooting guard Desmond Lee also inked a deal in Europe, joining the Surrey Scorchers in the British Bas - ketball League. The Norfolk, Va., product averaged 2.8 points and 1.0 rebound per contest in limited minutes his senior year. Small forward Ralston Turner remains undecided on what professional team he'll play for, but most likely will end up somewhere overseas. In addition to those three departed players, the Pack also lost power rising junior forward/center Kyle Washington, who elected to transfer to Cincinnati. He picked the Bearcats over Marquette July 1. WOLFPACK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM PLAYING IN CANCUN CHALLENGE The NC State women's basketball team hasn't for- mally announced its full nonconference schedule, but the Wolfpack will be playing in the Cancun Challenge Nov. 26-27. NC State will face Seton Hall at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2, and square off against UAB at 4 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The Wolfpack claimed a tour - nament title at Cancun in November 1999. NC State will also play at Nebraska Dec. 3 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Nebraska went 21-11 last year and earned its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers lost to Syracuse in the round of 64, and return second-team All-Big Ten selection Rachel Theriot. The Wolfpack went through an injury-marred 18-15 season, including going 7-9 in the ACC. NC State lost 80-79 in overtime at Temple March 26 in the WNIT. Junior guard Miah Spencer and redshirt junior guard Dominique Wilson both return after finishing one-two in scoring last year. Spencer averaged 14.0 points per game and shot 38.1 percent from three-point land, while Wilson was right behind her with 13.8 points per contest and shot 33 percent from beyond the arc. SOREN DAHL QUALIFIES FOR 2016 OLYMPICS NC State men's swimming stars Soren Dahl and Simonas Bilis both competed for their respective coun- tries at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Bilis, a senior, represented Lithuania, and Dahl, a junior, swam for Denmark. Dahl finished in a tie for 28th in the 50-meter but- terfly (24.13), and was the third leg on the 800-meter freestyle relay that clocked 7:13.72 and qualified for a berth to the 2016 Olympic Games. The relay set a new national record for Denmark and finished 12th in the first heat. Bilis finished 20th in the 50-meter freestyle (22.51 seconds) and was part of a 400-meter freestyle relay that finished 19th (3:20.15). WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM POSTS NEAR-PERFECT APR SCORE The NC State women's soccer team posted the best Academic Progress Rate (APR) in program history. The Wolfpack tied for the highest score (997) in the Atlantic Coast Conference among women's soccer programs and exceeded the league average of 988. Only 32 of the 332 NCAA Division I soccer teams scored higher than 997. "To maintain such a high GPA and APR in the midst of all the changes over the last few years is a great testament to the program," head coach Tim Santoro said. "As we build towards athletic achievement, keep - ing a high standard academically and socially is still of the utmost importance and won't be compromised." The Wolfpack has also earned the NSCAA academic team honor three straight times, and 12 of the last 15 seasons. FORMER TENNIS PLAYER AUSTIN POWELL NETS ACADEMIC AWARD Former NC State men's tennis player Austin Powell was named a 2015 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar Athlete July 26. The Muscle Shoals, Ala., native earned his second academic award of the postseason. He previously was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team. The recent NC State graduate concluded his ath - letic career with 91 singles wins, which ranks third in school history. He posted a 20-15 singles record and defeated four nationally ranked opponents during his senior year. A student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.50 grade-point average for the current academic year, must remain enrolled at the present school for a mini - mum of two semesters and must earn a varsity letter to receive ITA Scholar-Athlete status. ELISHA HANDE, TAYLOR ZAYTOUN MAKE ALL-ACC ACADEMIC TEAM NC State women's tennis players Elisha Hande and Taylor Zaytoun were both named to the All-ACC Academic Team. Hande and Zaytoun received the honor for the first time, and were recognized this past spring as two of NC State's top 10 scholar-athletes for the 2014-15 academic year, boasting 4.0 cumulative grade-point averages. Hande, a native of Cheltenham, England, graduated in May with an economics major and a minor in Ger- man. The four-year starter finished her career with 38 doubles wins, which ranks as the ninth-highest career total in program history. Her senior campaign was highlighted by a singles win over No. 67 Linn Timmermann of Georgia State and a doubles win with teammate Joanna Nalborksa over Georgia Tech's Rasheeda McAdoo and Alexis Prokopuik, who were ranked No. 41. Zaytoun, a senior from Raleigh, is majoring in fashion and textile management with a concentration in brand management and marketing. She saw action in four tournaments during the fall, and played in the doubles and singles lineups in the Pack's home match versus Charlotte this past spring. ■ Red And White Notebook Recent graduate Austin Powell was named a 2015 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar Athlete in July. He ranks third in program history with 91 career singles wins. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP