The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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The Rest Of The Top 10 season for the ninth time in the past 10 years. State hosted an NCAA regional and advanced to the Super Regional round, both for the first time since 2008, and went 19-11 against league competition — its most ACC wins ever. Elliott Avent's squad also went 28-4 at home, the third-most victories at Doak Field at Dail Park in school history, and its best home winning percentage (.875) since 1997. The Pack finished the season ranked No. 12 by Baseball America and No. 13 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. The squad posted the third-most wins in the ACC and the league's fourth-best winning percentage. 2. BASEBALL The Wolfpack fell short of its bid for the program's first College World Series ap- pearance since 1968 when the squad lost in the Super Regional round to top-seeded Florida, but 2012 was still a historic campaign for NC State. The Pack finished 43-20 — its most wins since 2003 (45) — and reached the post- to remember while the Pack qualified for its first NCAA Tournament since 2005-06. The Red and White proved to be a tough out in the postseason and advanced to the Sweet 16, where they played Kansas down to the wire before losing 60-57. The Pack finished 24-13 and ranked 20th in the final USA 3. MEN'S BASKETBALL Head coach Mark Gottfried's debut campaign was one at the NCAA Southeast Regional to advance to their national-best 27th NCAA Championships in school history, which includes qualification in 15 of the last 17 years. Once at the national meet, the Pack — with just one senior in the top five — ran 7. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY The Pack runners tied for third at the ACC Championships and finished second well enough to place 23rd in the nation. A pair of athletes were named All-ACC, while three runners earned all-region status. petitive ACC Championships and went on to earn the fifth NCAA Championships bid in school history. The Pack finished 20-10 — marking just the third season in program annals with 20 wins — and concluded the campaign ranked No. 39 in the ITA poll. 8. MEN'S TENNIS Head coach Jon Choboy's squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the always com- Today coaches poll, the squad's first end-of-season ranking since 2003-04. The team recorded nine wins over ACC foes, its most since 2006, while the overall number of victories were the most for the school since 1988. the women's golf program, and the team didn't have a senior on the roster. The squad advanced to the NCAA Champion- ships for the first time ever, and finished 13th at the biggest tournament of the year. In its 10th regional appearance in the last 11 years, the Pack finished seventh out of 24 teams. The squad finished sixth in the ultra-competitive ACC and 4. WOMEN'S GOLF The 2012 season was the most successful in the history of recorded a trio of team victories during the regular season, which tied a school record. The team also set all-time marks in team round score (282 at Sir Pizza Cards Challenge) and team three-day score (858, Cards Challenge). In all, 15 pro- gram marks were tied or set during the campaign. 5. GYMNASTICS NC State finished 17th in the final Troester.com polls, the school's highest ranking since 1999 (13th). The Pack nabbed its 10th consecutive berth in the NCAA Championships, and finished third at the NCAA Raleigh Regional, just 0.25 points from advancing to the final tournament for the first time since 1998. In the regular season, the squad went 12-5 and defeated perennial powerhouse Penn State twice, including at the Sweetheart Invitational when the Pack tallied a 196.775 — the program's best team score since 2004. State finished second at the EAGL Championships, had six selections to the All-EAGL first team and five more honorees on the league's all-tournament first team. ships appearance and third 20-win campaign in program history. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS Head coach Jon Choboy guided the Wolfpack men's tennis team to its fifth NCAA Champion- 6. FOOTBALL The Pack got off to a less than memorable start, opening 2-3 with the only victories coming against Football Championship Subdivision foes Liberty and South Alabama. However, the team was plagued by early-season injuries, especially at the defensive tackle position, but once they started getting players back, the squad hit its stride. State won six of its final eight games, including a 31-24 victory over Louisville in the time in school history. The Pack was selected as the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional, its 20th regional trip since 1989, and finished just one place short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a tie for sixth. Head coach Richard Sykes coached the regional medalist for the second straight season and third time in the last four years. 9. MEN'S GOLF NC State finished ninth in the ACC and advanced to postseason play for the 38th Belk Bowl, to turn an up-and-down opening stretch into a successful campaign. The Red and White's year-end streak included its fifth straight win over North Carolina, and the Pack topped Clemson, Maryland and UNC in the same year for the first time since 1992. Head coach Tom O'Brien's squad went 6-1 at Carter-Finley Stadium, its best home showing since 2003, while also setting a school record and leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 27 interceptions. 126 ■ THE WOLFPACKER 10. VOLLEYBALL In its second year under head coach Bryan Bunn, the Pack recorded one of its most successful campaigns in program history. State finished 20-13 overall and 8-12 in the ACC — its first winning season since 1996, which also marked the last time that the Red and White notched 20 victories. The squad, which featured 11 of 19 players in their first season with the program, set school records for ACC triumphs, ACC road victories (four) and longest winning streak (13), while also claiming an ACC record with six consecutive five-set matches. The Pack finished seventh in the conference for its best ACC showing since 1999.