The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK 1 Was Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner's rank in USA Today's MLB 100 Names You Need To Know For 2017. It's an annual listing of the top young players projected to make an impact on the upcoming season. They wrote Turner's "combina- tion of power, speed and versatility provided a significant boost for the Washington Nationals as they rolled to the National League East title. … He moves from center field to shortstop — trading one premium position for another — in a year in which he might become the Nationals' most indispensable player." On MLB Network's Top 100 Right Now, Turner checked in at No. 45. 3rd Round was where former NC State safety Josh Jones was picked in NFL.com's four- round mock draft released Feb. 16. The official draft order between the Colts and Vikings has not yet been determined, so they were listed as tied for the 79th overall pick, but that was where Jones — who entered the draft with one year of eligibility remaining — was projected to be selected (by the Colts). 4 Top-15 wins have been posted by Wes Moore's women's basketball team, including a 70-62 triumph over then-No. 2 Notre Dame, which marked just their second ACC loss since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season. The Wolfpack was ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and boasted a 20-7 overall record (10-4 in the ACC and 13-2 at newly renovated Reynolds Coliseum) as of Feb. 22. 9.4 Yards per rush, a game-best among players with multiple carries, were aver- aged by running back Matthew Dayes in the Senior Bowl. He rushed seven times for 66 yards and a touchdown, helping the South to a 16-15 win Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala. 22 Is where NC State ranked in ESPN.com's initial version of the Preseason Football Power Index (FPI). The advanced metric is made up of four major components, including the last four seasons of per- formance, the amount of returning starters, a four-year average recruiting ranking of the four major services and head coaching tenure. The Wolfpack was ranked as the sixth-highest squad from the ACC, and trailed Atlantic Divi- sion rivals Florida State (No. 4), Clemson (No. 7) and Louisville (No. 14), plus 2017 foe Notre Dame (No. 17). 55 Players across the country were named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, including junior shortstop Joe Dunand. MLB great Alex Rodri- guez' nephew hit .297 in 2016 to earn his way into the conversation for the national player of the year honor. 149 Is three-star shooting guard signee Thomas Allen's national rank in the 2017 class according to Rivals.com. The Garner native plays at Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Acad- emy, the alma mater of former ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren and former NCSU forward Kyle Washington. ■ By The Numbers Sponsored by: Colony Tire & Service www.colonytire.com 10 Starters (out of 10) for NC State's wrestling team were listed in the Feb. 10 NCAA coaches' panel rankings of the top 33 grapplers nationally at each weight class. The No. 7 Pack was the only ACC squad with every starter ranked, and it had three in the top 10 (No. 2 141-pounder KEVIN JACK, No. 10 149-pounder Sam Speno and No. 10 184-pounder Michael Macchiavello). PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP