The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH 2017 ■ 77 Rhoads, a native of Raleigh who went to Broughton High, tied for fifth in the Big East Championships to help Georgetown win the league title. In the fall, sophomore Justin Hood got a lot of experience in the lineup, playing all four tournaments and registering a top-20 finish. Sykes estimated that Hood could be one of seven or eight players who rotate in and out of the lineup for the spring, leading up to the ACC Championships April 21-23 and what Sykes hopes will be another NCAA Regional May 15-17. The NCAA Championships will take place May 26-31 in Sugar Grove, Ill. During Sykes' time in Raleigh, the Pack have made it to the NCAA Regional 23 times and the NCAA Championships on 12 occasions. He is careful, though, not to put too many expectations on his team, which enjoyed a good fall by finishing in the top five, including a pair of third- place finishes, in three of its last four fall tournaments. "I think the worst thing for golf is expec- tations," he noted. "It's so much pressure on you. Just put those aside. I think that hinders you. Golf is a unique sport because you hit a ball, and it's a while before you hit another one, and in all that time all that thinking is going on. "Most of the sports are action, reaction. Golf is hard." Thus any team goals will remain amongst themselves. "I think we have a very positive bunch," Sykes said. "We've had pretty good weather here this spring so far. You still had a couple of snow days, but other than that we've had really nice weather and the guys have worked hard. "They've played a lot of golf. I hope that will translate well into low scores in tournaments, but you never know how that it is. Golf is a fickle sport." Or as Sykes put it, applying his years of wisdom in the sport: "It's a simple game that's hard to play." ■ Key Players To Watch Senior Jacob McBride One of the few veteran presences on the roster, McBride did a good job leading the team in the fall. He finished among the top 20 in two of the three tournaments he competed in, including tying for second place at the Wolfpack Fall Intercollegiate. He fired a personal-best round of 66 that tied for the team's lowest in the fall and his 18-hole (69.7) and 54-hole averages (209.3) both led the Pack. Freshman Benjamin Shipp Unsurprisingly, Shipp is making a quick impact on the Wolfpack roster. The native of Duluth, Ga., and a two-time Georgia Player of the Year, was considered the top-ranked junior golfer in the class of 2016. He notched a pair of top-10 finishes in the fall in the three tournaments he competed in, and he was second only to McBride in his 18-hole (70.7) and 54-hole averages (212.3). He was the only Pack golfer to have multiple top-10 finishes in the fall. Sophomore Davis Richards Richards was one of three golfers to fire a round of 66 in the fall, joining McBride and classmate Stephen Franken. Richards competed in four tour- naments, and he finished among the top 20 in three of them, including as the top finisher on the squad at the season-opening FAMC Intercollegiate at the Grove Sept. 18-20, where he tied for 13th. He had an 18-hole average of 71.5 and a 54-hole average of 214.5, both fourth best on the team. Noting The Pack • As Richard Sykes is set to depart, he will pack his boxes in an office that is much nicer than the first one he occupied. That's thanks to the Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse on the Lonnie Poole Golf Course. Sykes noted that has made recruiting easier. "Everything that has been done for us in the last few years has really changed our program, it made it easier," Sykes said. "It's never that easy because Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest all want the same players. They don't want you to have them. They don't want you to win either. "The athletic department has done great by us." • The ACC will be a tough league this season. Virginia headlines five teams from the league ranked in the top 25 of the GCAA coaches' poll at No. 5, with one first-place vote. Wake Forest (No. 11), Duke (tied for No. 19), North Carolina (tied for No. 19) and Clemson (No. 21) are also ranked in the first spring poll. Florida State (No. 25) was ranked in the final fall poll, plus Georgia Tech also received votes. • Sykes' final signee at NC State was Easton Paxton from Riverton, Wyo. Paxton signed in November after also considering Arizona, Auburn, Colorado State, Texas A&M and Utah. He is a multiple-time individual state champion who owns the Wyoming record for a two-round score (131). "Easton is a very strong, outstanding player," Sykes said. "If you look at his record, you see that he is a four-time state champion and a four-time U.S. Junior qualifier. Very few people at his age can say that. He can still try to play it [the U.S. Junior] again this summer, making possibly five times. "He's been a good player for a long time and we are really looking forward to him getting here. We expect him to make an immediate impact on our program. You look at someone like Benjamin [Shipp], who has come in here and done a great job as a freshman. Easton is of that caliber." ■ By The Numbers 4 Players averaged under-par 72 18-hole scores during the fall — senior Jacob McBride (69.7), freshman Benjamin Shipp (70.7), sophomore Stephen Franken (71.2) and sophomore Davis Richards (71.5). 9 Freshmen and sophomores are on the roster among the 11 overall players. Three are freshmen and six are sophomores. 10 Players who either grew up in North Carolina or are from a state that borders it. Only Mc- Bride (Ohio) is from outside the region. Sophomore Davis Richards finished among the top 20 in three of four fall tournaments. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS Senior Jacob McBride led the Pack with an average per-round score of 69.7 in the fall. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS