The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/846301
JULY 2017 ■ 141 All that made Held the easy choice for The Wolfpacker's annual Male Athlete of the Year honor. Held, though, is more than a gold med- alist and national champion. He's an All- American kid, an Eagle Scout who takes his studies as seriously as his sports. A junior majoring in fisheries, wildlife and environmental conservation, Held hopes to one day use his degree to help plan ur- ban greenways, something he is passionate about. He's an unabashed lover of Internet cat videos, even though he can't have a pet of his own. He is so allergic to cat dander that sometimes he can't breathe after exposure. But he has no trouble posting and retweet- ing videos of cats being silly. "I like to think of myself as being kind of goofy," Held explained. "I try not to take myself too seriously." He does, however, take his responsibili- ties seriously. He chose as his Eagle Scout project to improve the landscaping and drainage at a memorial at his high school for a student that had died of an asthma at- tack. Held didn't know the student, but the memorial was being washed out after an additional wing and basketball court was added nearby. So he built several terraces, planted flow- ers and re-mulched everything to make sure the area was a proper remembrance of the late student. Heading into his final season at NC State, Held has big goals, not so much for him, but for the entire Wolfpack team. He's spent the offseason training every day with as many as three other Olympians in the Casey Natatorium, including 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones, who won the 2006 NCAA title in the 50 freestyle for the Wolfpack. "He pushes us all to be better every day," Held said. That should help Held and his fellow Wolfpack swimmers train to improve on last year's fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Though they have won three consecutive ACC titles, the fourth- place showing at the national meet was a bit of a disappointment after three straight years of improvement. "This summer and fall, I want to work on having more team-focused goals," Held said. "We want to be top three in the na- tion in all the relays. We really want to win a team national championship. That's everyone's goal. That's how we want to ap- proach every practice, every meet. "We don't want to repeat the feeling of disappointment." ■ Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Olde Raleigh Financial Group is not a registered broker/dealer, and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. 17-BR8HO-0014 TA 4/17 F I N A N C I A L G R O U P Proud supporter of NC State Wolfpack Club TREVOR CHAMBERS Financial Advisor ALEX MIHAJLOV Branch Manager KATHY DUCKWORTH Registered Sales Assistant BLAKE PARO Financial Advisor NCSU Class of 2003 3110 Edwards Mill Road, Suite 340 Raleigh, NC 27612 T 919.861.8212 www.olderaleighfinancial.com GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker. You may contact him at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.