The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK NC State rising senior Lucas Koze- niesky will have quite the stories to tell when school starts back up in the fall. Kozeniesky scored a 1,902.4 to clinch the top spot in the air rifle competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 3-5 in Camp Perry, Ohio. Kozeniesky will be at the Summer Olympics Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The trials capped off an exciting year of "firsts" for Kozeniesky, which included being the first NC State shooter to go to the World Cup and Olympics. He became NC State's first All-American since Wil- liam Thomas in 1975, after finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships last March. The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Associa- tion and National Rifle Association both named him an All-American. He expects to help the Wolfpack to reach the NCAA Championships next year as a team. The Fairfax, Va., native who is major- ing in sports management, recently took some time to talk with The Wolfpacker about making the Olympics. What do you credit for improving and reach- ing the Olympics? "A few things, but I started doing an internship here at NC State athletics, and would work from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I'd go home every day. That first day, I went home and made dinner and sat down on the couch. I said to myself, 'If I really want to do this, I need to get up right now and go to the range and start training.' "At that moment, for the next five weeks, I was com - pletely grinding, studying my sport and getting better at it. I did that every day from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., but not on the weekends. I wasn't that crazy. "I also spent a significant amount of time working on my mental management — like setting the right goals, having the right mentality and working on keeping my - self calm under pressure. I was finding techniques that would help prevent choking, which is a very big thing in high-stress matches like the Olympic Trials. "The third thing was, I just went there and said, 'This is it. I'm going to keep it simple. I'm going to do what I have been doing.' It really worked." What was your first moment where it hit you that you are going to the Olympics? "I have had a lot of people say 'Congratulations,' but the thing that really hit me was when I was in high school or college, people would ask me what is rifle? I would say, 'It is a direct representation of the Olym - pics sports.' They would then say, 'Oh, are you going to the Olympics one day?' I'd say, 'Yes, I will go to the Olympics one day.' "I'm 21 years old, and I'm an Olympian. It's awesome and almost too good to be true." Who do you lean on during hectic times like this summer? "The three key people who have been helping me the last three weeks, include my teammate Lauren Phillips. She has been there with me the entire time, working with me and training with me, and keeping me on point or focused, especially when I was tired or wanted to take a step back. "The second is my coach Keith Miller. He's been there the entire way. Ever since I've gotten to college, he's been the resource and the mentor. The NCAA defines a coach as an educator. Keith Miller is definitely an educator. "The biggest support has come from my girlfriend, Blair Gruendl, who I've been dating for five and a half years. She's been incredibly supportive during this entire process." What got you hooked on rifle in 2009? "My dad is in the military, so we moved from Norway to northern Virginia. He said, 'Try and find something to do, and get you some friends and experience.' I thought about playing soccer again or baseball. I saw rifle, and thought, 'This is cool.' "I ended up showing up late for a meeting, and this big 'ol southern Alabama man who was 75 started to give me a lecture about being on time. He was joking around, but being very serious with a clean message. I was like, 'I want to work with his guy.' "I went to the safety classes that the school offered at 6 a.m. in the morning. Three of those meetings later, people brought in all this equipment, and my dad bought equipment and said I'd do it for a year. "I did it for a year, and at the end of that year, I was the worst person on the team. My dad bought me a new smallbore and a new shooting shoot. All of a sud - den, I was the best shooter on the team, and the rest is history." Who inspires you? "One person I look to is Matt Emmons, who is a U.S. Olympic shooter. He is awesome. One thing I get a strong appeal about him is that he has either choked or made a mistake at some very key points in his career. "Those mistakes would have ended others careers and thrown them into depression. This guy, he has re- covered and is respectful. I've met him a couple of times, and he is very friendly. He gives me a lot of information." Getting To Know: Rifle Senior Lucas Kozeniesky Quick Questions Weirdest question or comment you've heard from a classmate about being on the rifle team? A lot of people ask if I am on the rifle team and if I do ROTC drills, or do gun twirlers. I get that a lot. Go-to place to eat in Fairfax, Va.? There is a little restaurant called Cantina D'Italia. Who would you like to see in concert? I'd love to go see the Rolling Stones. Any superstitions? I always forget my toothbrush, and that is a superstition. I forget it and then buy one at the range or where we are traveling. Favorite pet phrase from coach Keith Miller? He likes to say, "Keep it simple and keep it clean, and everything will be all right." What is your favorite class at NC State? My sports finance and economics class. If you didn't go to NC State, where would you have gone? There really wasn't another choice. NC State was it from the beginning, from when I talked to Coach Miller. Last good movie you watched? "The Revenant" with Leonardo DiCaprio. If you could compete in another sport at NC State, which one would you try? Soccer. I was a big soccer player when I was a kid. Who is another athlete at NC State that you enjoy watching? I'd have to say Nick Gwiazdowski, the wrestler. He's done a lot of cool things, and I enjoy watching his matches and highlights. I think he's amazing. Kozeniesky, an All-American, has earned the right to compete at the Summer Olympics Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS