The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/846301
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER A t the end of her eighth year as NC State's director of athletics, Debbie Yow continues to retool the department in pursuit of mak‑ ing Wolfpack athletics one of the top 25 in the annual Directors' Cup standings. To that effect, Yow hired five new coaches during the year to join a talented roster that was awarded five ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2016‑17, tied with Virginia Tech for the most in the league. The honored coaches were Braden Hol‑ loway in men's and women's swimming, Wes Moore in women's basketball, Laurie Henes in women's cross country and the re‑ cently retired Richard Sykes in men's golf. NC State won three ACC championships (women's cross country, plus men's and women's swimming and diving), second most in the ACC among sports that are sponsored by the university. Overall, 16 teams reached postseason competition, and nine were ranked in the final top 25 of their respective sports. Off the field, NCSU reopened historic Reynolds Coliseum after a $35‑million renovation. The facility hosted the ACC wrestling and East Atlantic Gymnastics League championships. The student‑athletes also matched its highest Graduation Success Rate in school history (83 percent). Yow sat down with The Wolfpacker in June, and here are highlights from that interview: How do did the year go athletically for NC State? "I happen to be a person who wants to first look at what went wrong. Once I feel like we have remedies in place, then I'm willing to mentally move on to what went well. That's how I have to approach things; so let's start with 'teams.' "I feel like we have done well in regards to our hires this year. Leading that group is Kevin Keatts. There has not been a day since he joined NC State that he hasn't been everything that I hoped he would be and more. "What he is going to need is a little bit of time. I don't think a lot of time, but I do understand the situation he inherited. And he is in the midst of installing a culture of accountability on every front. "There is a great quote by [management consultant] Peter Drucker about the value of culture that says, 'Culture eats strategy for breakfast … every day.' "I believe that. If the right culture is not in place, all the good plans will never be successful because people give up when they hit rough spots. "We're partnering well together, and he's already making progress on every front, including academically with our student‑ athletes. His conversation with Omer [Yurtseven] the day before Omer announced he was coming back to State was pivotal in that decision. Omer said that himself. "Kevin has completed his staff now. It took him a while to select his third assis‑ tant, but that has been done. I feel like he did well on those hires. "In women's volleyball, Linda Hampton‑ Keith has been with us one year and is an amazing leader. Now we have [former bas‑ ketball player] Thurl Bailey's daughter play‑ ing this fall. It is going to be a special season. "Our hire in men's soccer is George Kiefer. What was interesting about hiring George was learning in the interview pro‑ cess about his background personally and also his love for NC State. "He watched us as a child when we were really, really good. When you're at an im‑ A YEAR OF TRANSFORMATION Director Of Athletics Debbie Yow Added Five Newcomers To A Talented Roster Of Coaches Debbie Yow just completed her eighth year in charge at NC State and led the Wolfpack to a No. 29 finish in the Directors' Cup, two spots shy of its all-time best performance of 27th. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS