The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
120 ■ THE WOLFPACKER to contend within the conference and beyond immediately — Hidlay is a legitimate All- America candidate, though he doesn't appear in many preseason national rankings, a fact the coach likes for motivational purposes — but Popolizio's program is at a point that there is competition at every weight, so they will still have to win the spot. Just because a starter returns doesn't mean he will start again, and just because a guy has not been in the lineup before doesn't mean the coaches are relaxing the standards they hold the returning starters to. The coach was quick to add a grappler of Hidlay's caliber, in particular, expects himself to be a top-eight finisher at the end of the year. "The expectations we create are high," Popolizio said. "We stress that, we demand that on all aspects here as far as the pro- gram. I think our goals should be to finish higher than we did in the past. "To sit here and say we want to win a national title, yes, we do — but I think we need to make jumps and just get better than where we were in the past. I think we're in position to do that with our team." Popolizio's squad has already accom- plished a lot. But the Wolfpack has its 11th- place national finish from 2016 to top and ACC team title from that year to match. When that goal is checked off, the team will set its sights on the program's all-time best NCAA showing of seventh in 1993. Until they reach the top, there will al- ways be plenty of work to do, improvement to come and records to set. ■ W E P L AC E L AW Y E R S FIRST ATTORNEY RECRUITING FIRM IN THE CAROLINAS www.legalplacementspecialists.com Member, National Association of Legal Search Consultants CELEBRATING 24 Years 1993-2017 • Looking for an in-house attorney? • Need partners, groups? • Have an interest in a merger? • Experienced attorney needing a job? Email: careers@legalplacementspecialists.com Our Team SuppOrTS The WOlfpack! SEPI is proud to support NC State and Wolfpack Athletics 1025 Wade Avenue | Raleigh, NC | 27605 | 919.789.9977 | sepiengineering.com | @SEPIengineers • Site/Civil Engineering • Land Development • Land Planning • Landscape Architecture • Roadway Design • Traffic Engineering • Water Resources • Environmental • NEPA/Planning • Remediation • Surveying • Operations & Maintenance • Construction Engineering & Inspection Multi-disciplinary services under one roof: Sepideh Saidi, PE | President/CEO BSCE, NCSU Class of '93 BSAg.E, NCSU Class of '85 Photo by Nick Pironio, WALTER Magazine GO PACK! NCSU, Center for Technology and Innovation during construction Noting The Pack • Eight starters return from last year's NCAA lineup, but a few are changing weight classes. ACC finalist and NCAA qualifier Jamal Morris, a redshirt junior, is moving from 133 pounds all the way up to 149 pounds, while redshirt junior Malik McDonald is going heavyweight after reaching the NCAA Cham - pionships at 197 pounds last year. Former part-time starters, however, await both in 149-pound fifth- year senior Beau Donahue and senior heavyweight Michael Boykin. Donahue went 21-10 at the weight last year, while Boykin earned the No. 12 seed at the 2016 NCAA Tournament as a 197-pounder before splitting time at heavyweight last year. • A few other starters from last year are also ex- pected to move up in weight class, but will redshirt to help the adjustment. The coaches plan to red- shirt sophomores Nick Reenan (wrestled 174 last year) and Thomas Bullard (157), who both reached the NCAA Championships as true freshmen a year ago, but that could change as the year goes on. Both were key parts of the nation's No. 1 recruit- ing class in 2016 — Reenan was ranked fourth and Bullard 43rd. Three from the class who redshirted last year are expected to start this season — No. 6 Hayden Hidlay (157), No. 42 Daniel Bullard (174) and No. 66 Tariq Wilson (133).