The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/612996
16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK "We are both excited and thankful for the opportunity to play instate at the Belk Bowl in the great city of Charlotte. The Belk Bowl allows the NC State fan base a tremendous opportunity to support their Wolfpack and I look forward to seeing a sea of red on game day! This is a great reward for our young team that has con- tinued to improve over the course of the season." — NC State football coach Dave Doeren on playing Mississippi State Dec. 30 in Charlotte (GoPack.com) "He is a very competitive guy who gives everything he can. I'm proud to have been around him and look forward to coaching him one more time." — Doeren on fifth-year senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett (TheWolfpacker.com) "There are probably going to be some times we're going to have to keep grinding it out. My hope is that we can keep getting better. We gotta keep improving. You have a vision of what you think your team can be. We have to get there, and we're not there, but we're going to. We're going to get there." — NCSU men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried on vision for his team (The Fayetteville Observer) "We have to work with those guys and develop them better. Right now, we're not getting nearly enough offensive production from our interior players. We have to have more balance." — Gottfried on wanting more from big men Abdul-Malik Abu, Lennard Freeman and BeeJay Anya (The Raleigh News & Observer) "I'm at a time in my life where I've been around elite athletes for 30 years. They don't need any [financial] help staying in school. I want to play now to my other passion, education and help students who really need financial assistance. I'm in a position now to do that, and it's perfect for my new title." — NC State basketball legend Dereck Whittenburg on creating the Whittenburg Foundation, which pro- vides scholarships to students at NCSU and Shaw University (The Raleigh News & Observer) "Some people have off days at nationals, and we never try to focus too much on any one team for sure. It's still disappointing to have lost the ACC title, but I think placing fifth in the country helps make up for that some." — NCSU women's cross country coach Laurie Henes on finishing fifth at NCAA Championships (The Technician) "It is an honor to be included on the list. That said, my focus remains on our efforts here at NC State to improve graduation rates and competitive outcomes, while providing a terrific learning environment for our athletes." ■ Athletics director Debbie Yow on being ranked No. 16 on the 2015 Forbes list for most powerful women in sports (Triangle Business Journal) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN QUOTING THE PACK Laurie Henes, Women's Cross Country Despite not having an All-American, Henes' women's cross country squad impressively came in fifth place at the NCAA Championships Nov. 26 in Louisville, Ky., for the Pack's best performance there since NC State was national runner-up in 2001. The top five runners for Henes finished within 37 scorers of each other in a balanced effort that improved upon the team's 16th-place standing a year ago. All but one runner in the lineup is sched - uled to return in 2016. Blayke Hranicka, Volleyball Hranicka, a native of Denver, was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team following an impressive rookie season for the Wolfpack. The newcomer was NC State's leading point scorer for the year with 393. She was second on the team in both blocks (136) and service aces (35). Her 12 blocks in a 3-0 win against Tennessee were the most in a three-set match by a freshman nation - ally during the regular season. Hranicka was fourth on NC State with 281 kills, and she logged double-digit kill totals in 12 matches. Erika Kemp, Women's Track & Field/Cross Country When a track school record stands for 24 years, it's an impressive mark. Kemp, a junior from Mt. Holly, N.J., ended Henes' reign as the fast - est 5,000-meter runner in indoor track in State history. Kemp did so by running the race in 15:45.46 at the BU Season Opener Dec. 5 in Boston, breaking Henes' previ- ous record by almost 10 seconds. The run came weeks after Kemp was State's top runner at cross country nationals (57th). Last year, she finished third in the 5,000 meters at the ACC Indoor Championships. Zach Knudson, Men's Soccer The sophomore midfielder from Oakland, N.J., was named second-team All-ACC a year after being picked for the All-Freshman Team. Knud - son led the team with 15 points and six goals. His bicycle-style goal against Notre Dame was viewed almost 90,000 times on YouTube.com. Four of Knudson's six goals were game-winners, including against No. 15 South Carolina. Knudson helped the Wolfpack go 2-3-3 against top-25 teams and 8-6-3 overall. The Pack was one of the first teams left out of this year's NCAA Championship field. Pat Popolizio, Wrestling It has been quite a run for the fourth-year Wolfpack head coach. He signed a banner recruiting class in November that ranked second nation- ally by W.I.N. Magazine. Then on Dec. 6, his squad upset traditional college wrestling powerhouse and second-ranked Okla- homa State 19-15 on the road. That made NCSU 9-0 in duals for the first time since their ACC championship season of 1975- 76. The win even garnered the attention of NCSU athletics director Debbie Yow, who tweeted her congratulations and called it the biggest win in program history. ■ PACK PERFORMERS