The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/98466
tracking the PACK ■PACK PEOPLE Andrew Colley, Men's Cross Country Colley, a redshirt junior from Williamsburg, Va., was named the ACC Performer of the Year Nov. 29. After finishing third in the ACC Championships Oct. 27 in Blacksburg, Va., Colley was the first conference performer to cross the line and finished third overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional Nov. 9 in Charlotte. Colley was also the ACC's best finisher at the NCAA Championship Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky., when he finished 16th to garner All-America honors for the second consecutive season. Megan Cyr,Volleyball The senior setter from Canada closed a memorable year in volleyball by being named first-team All-ACC and also All-East Region Team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Cyr, a native of St. Andrews, Man., led the Pack with 1,234 assists in 2012, and she became just the second NC State volleyball player to have at least 1,000 assists in three straight seasons. Cyr also had the best attack average on the squad this season at .339, helping her notch 110 kills. She additionally had 86 blocks, 284 digs and 19 service aces. Ryan Hill, Men's Track & Field The reigning Wolfpacker Co-Athlete of the Year made his debut in the indoor track and field season count by dominating the field in the 5,000-meter run at the Hoosier Open in Gladstein Fieldhouse on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Hill won the race in 13:43.52 and was just four seconds off what would have been an all-time track record. Hill, a fifthyear senior from Hickory, N.C., is aiming to add to his five All-America honors in his previous three track seasons. Kris Kornegay-Gober, Men's Track & Field The senior from Washington, D.C., rewrote the NC State record books once again in the high jump. Last year, Kornegay-Gober had the best leap ever recorded in school history by clearing 7-3¾ at the ACC Indoor Championships. That mark did not even last a full year. Kornegay-Gober cleared 7-4¼ at the JDL Fast Track Kick-Off Dec. 1 in Winston-Salem, N.C., while winning the event. Kornegay-Gober was honored as the year's first ACC Indoor Track & Field Male Performer of the Week. Alex Martinez, Men's Soccer After transferring to NC State from High Point University, the junior from Rock Hill, S.C., was recognized as one of the top soccer players in the ACC. He was selected first-team All-ACC after notching 11 goals and 10 assists during the season. He is the first Wolfpack men's soccer player to have double-digit totals in both categories during one season since Henry Guteirrez had 10 goals and 13 assists in 1991. Martinez led the ACC this season in assists, was second in points (32) and finished third in goals scored. Pat Popolizio, Wrestling The first-year NC State wrestling coach provided a glimpse of why he is regarded as a rising star in the profession by signing the ninth-ranked wrestling class nationally and second-best in the ACC according to theopenmat.com. Brenden Cales of Seton Hall (N.J.) Prep School (120 pounds), Scott Del Vecchio of South Plainfield (N.J.) High (132 pounds), Chris Wilkes of Whitfield (Mo.) School (132 pounds) and Peter Renda of Brandywine Heights (Pa.) High School (170 pounds) are all ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes in the senior class by various outlets. Quoting The Pack "It was obvious Debbie Yow wanted a young, energetic guy who will be quick to hit the road recruiting. Dave Doeren will do that." ■ Rivals.com football recruiting analyst Mike Farrell on new NC State coach Dave Doeren's recruiting abilities (Raleigh News & Observer) photo by ken martin "When you turn on the TV you see a lot of great players from the state of North Carolina starting as freshmen at Georgia and Florida, so if we can get some kids who don't want to leave home you feel pretty good about meeting her expectation. But that's not something that happens overnight, either. You have to recruit those kids from when they're ninth graders on. You want to have that whole feel where mom and dad can get in the car and drive an hour and watch me do my thing. Why should I go eight hours? That's what we have to do here." — New NC State head coach Dave Doeren on recruiting the top in-state talent (ESPN.com) "I think Dave Doeren was the best coach in NIU history, even though he was a Huskie for only two short seasons. The two things I liked most about Doeren was the former Wisconsin defensive coordinator made NIU as good on defense as it is on offense and he turned his great offense loose. "I've never seen an NIU team play pass defense as good as this one. The team speed on defense is better than ever, the Huskies have aggressive players in the secondary — they have at least one interception in nine consecutive games — and a consistent pass rush." — Writer Matt Trowbridge on Dave Doeren's departure from Northern Illinois (Rockford Register Star) "Mark Gottfried and the Pack are proving that 2012's recruiting efforts were no fluke. They made up major ground to get in late and land the super-quick [point guard Anthony] Barber at the point. A native of Minnesota, [Kyle] Washington is a steadily improving big man with a nice frame to build on. The addition of a top-50 big man in BeeJay Anya has the class sitting just outside of the national top 10." — Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Eric Bossi on NC State's No. 11-ranked class of 2013 recruiting class (Rivals.com) "Warren simply hasn't missed in the early going, a fact that Mark Gottfried has recognized by giving his budding star starts in each of the Wolfpack's past two games. The 6-8 freshman has the luxury of playing alongside established stars like C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell, but in any setting making 69 percent of your 2s as a high-volume scorer is remarkable." — Basketball Prospectus analyst John Gassaway, ranking T.J. Warren the No. 7 freshman in the country so far this season (ESPN.com) "C.J. Leslie and his N.C. State basketball team were both off to something of a slow start when they went to New York to play UConn in the Jimmy V Classic last Tuesday. "Apparently, both were inspired by the spirit of former Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano — the man for whom the event is named. "With State in danger of falling out of the top 25, the ACC's preseason Player of the Year rose to the occasion by scoring 16 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking four shots in a 69-65 victory at Madison Square Garden. Leslie followed that up with a 19-point, eight-rebound performance against Cleveland State on Saturday to earn ACC Player of the Week honors." — Brett Friedlander (Wilmington Star News Online) 18 ■ the wolfpacker 10-12,14,16,18.Wolfpack News.indd 18 12/11/12 2:41 PM