The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK "I can't even describe what type of person he is and what he's meant to my life. Just him grooming me as a man and preparing me for tough times, hard times, good times. He's been so helpful to me throughout this process, and just keeping me steady and keeping a good head on my shoulders, and you know, I just can't thank him enough." ■ Former NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett on the mentoring he received from former NFL coach and executive Bill Parcells; Parcells vouched for his abilities to the New England Patriots, who drafted him in the third round (Boston Globe) "The top recruit of the Dave Doeren era at NC State spent his first season on the sidelines after a slow fall camp [his weight being one big issue] and a loaded depth chart made a redshirt season inevitable. But [Johnny] Frasier is still a top-flight talent, and after the Wolfpack parted ways with Shadrach Thornton and dealt with injuries to Reggie Gallaspy last season, it was clear they needed another bruiser to handle the ball." — Blogger David Hale on redshirt freshman running back Johnny Frasier being NC State's "biggest wild card" next season (ESPN.com) "People can make such a difference in such a short time in life. I feel very protective of the girls, and I want them to know how loved they were and how special he was, to be able to be those kind of human beings that will change the world, too." — Maura Horton on her late husband Don Horton, who died from Parkinson's disease at age 58 on May 28; Horton coached the offensive line and eventually tight ends at NC State from 2007-12 (CNN.com) "This is something I couldn't go away from, and something I couldn't turn my back on. I look forward to having a special season. I think every- one should be excited and be happy for what we have moving forward." — NC State junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu on returning to NC State (TheWolfpacker.com) "[Omer] Yurtseven runs the floor extremely well, he has good hands, he can play some in pick and roll, he scores with either hand around the basket and he looks to be a big who should be able to shoot from between 12 and 15 feet." — Recruiting analyst Eric Bossi on NC State senior center signee Omer Yurtseven of Turkey (Rivals.com) "EP never says a word. He is the quietest, most unassuming kid I've ever coached. But he is a quiet leader, so you never have to worry about him hustling or being in the right place at the right time. Honestly, other than the great plays and the home runs, you would almost forget he was around. But I'm glad he is around because he is real high-character kid." — Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson baseball coach Mike Meadows on star senior center fielder EP Reese, who signed with NC State (Winston- Salem Journal) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN QUOTING THE PACK Jade Caraway, Softball The future Wolfpack outfielder is poised to make a quick impact for head coach Shawn Rychcik's program. She helped West Orange High in Winter Garden, Fla., win a class 9A state title after a 30-1 season. In the title game, Caraway went 2 for 4 at the plate with a double and two runs batted in. She finished the year batting .474 with 44 runs scored, 22 RBI and 27 stolen bases. Caraway was named her conference's Spring Female Athlete of the Year and tabbed an East All-Star Selection by the Florida Athletic Coaches As- sociation. Francesco Cascucci, Men's Soccer After an impressive freshman season at New Mexico, Cascucci is trans- ferring to NC State. He scored four goals and had 10 points for the Lobos in 17 games last year, earning a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman team. He notched an overtime game-winner against No. 21 American and contributed two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over UAB. The latter performance garnered him Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week. He is a native of Puglia, Italy. Gabriele Cunningham, Women's Track & Field By the end of her freshman year, Cunningham was on pace to become one of the best sprinters in school history. She concluded the year at the USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing 10th in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.49 seconds. She ran the 100-meter dash in a personal-best 11.64 seconds at the ACC Champion - ships, which is the third-fastest time in that event in school history. The Charlotte native eventually finished fifth in the finals to earn All-ACC accolades. Quashawn Cunningman, Men's Track & Field The Charlotte native has provided a significant boost to State's sprinting program in his two full seasons. This past spring, he finished third at the ACC Championships in the 100-meter dash (10.34 seconds) and second in the 200-meter race (20.67 seconds). He also ran anchor on the 4x100-meter relay team that earned first-team All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships — the school's first appearance in the finals since 1991. Their personal best time of 39.11 seconds, set in the prelims of nationals, was just 0.04 seconds off the school-record set in 1989. Kaitlyn Kramer, Women's Cross Country/Track Kramer, who will be a fifth-year senior this coming sea- son, was one of two NC State athletes to be nominated for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year award, joining track star Alexis Perry, The Wolfpacker's 2015-16 Female Athlete of the Year. Kramer was the Pack's sixth-place runner at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Champion- ships, helping the Pack place fifth overall for its best finish since 2001. The Charlotte native also graduated in May as the university's valedictorian with a 4.0 grade point average. Matt O'Donnell, Men's Swimming O'Donnell, a junior from Bradenton, Fla., redshirted this past season and is defying the odds in the pool. He had a shunt inserted in his neck when he was 6 months old after being diag- nosed with hydrocephalus, which causes fluid buildup in the brain. The shunt helps drain the fluid. That shunt broke in May 2015, and doctors took it out in September. A month later he needed emergency surgery to put another shunt in because one of the ventricles in his brain had leaked. Despite all that, he managed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 2:03.59 seconds in the 200-meter backstroke in June. ■ PACK PERFORMERS