Wolfpack Athletics Celebrates #STATEment Season At 2018 Wolfies

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State Athletic Department hosted the 2018 Wolfie Awards Monday night at Reynolds Coliseum. The gala event showcased the best of Wolfpack Athletics over the last calendar year. Jeff Gravley, sports anchor for WRAL and former NC State baseball player, served as the emcee for the evening.

For the second year in a row, swimming and diving swept the H.C. Kennett Award, which is NC State's highest athletic award that is given annually to a male and female athlete who demonstrates the finest attributes of sportsmanship and team play.

Anton Ipsen was the male recipient of the award, after becoming an individual national champion and three-time ACC Champion during the 2017-18 season. Hannah Moore joined him as the female winner of the Kennett Award, as she was honored for her team-best third-place finish at NCAAs and her ACC title in the 1,650 freestyle.

The department also took time to recognize its national champions from the 2017-18 season.

Ryan Held - Men's Swimming & Diving
Anton Ipsen - Men's Swimming & Diving
Jacob Molacek - Men's Swimming & Diving
Justin Res - Men's Swimming & Diving
Coleman Stewart - Men's Swimming & Diving
Andreas Vazaios - Men's Swimming & Diving
Michael Macchiavello - Wrestling
Cheerleading - Small Coed
Cheerleading - Gameday

Also honored were the All-Americans and Academic All-Americans across all sports, as well as the MVPs for each team. A full list of the rest of the rest of the evening's winners is below:

Rookie of the Year
Awarded to a men's and women's freshman who has had a significant impact on their team's competitiveness.
Hayden Hidlay, Wrestling

Hayden became an ACC Champion in the 157-pound weight class and was a runner-up at the NCAA Championships. He was only the second NC State freshman to reach an NCAA final. A three-time ACC Wrestler of the Week during the season, he played a key role in leading the Wolfpack to its ACC regular season title.

Dominique Clairmonte, Women's Cross Country

Dominique competed at six meets in her first collegiate cross country season and was a three-time ACC Cross Country Freshman of the Week honoree during the regular season. She placed a team-best third at the ACC Championships, leading the team to its conference title. She was named to the All-ACC and All-Region teams after finishing in the top five at both postseason meets.

Comeback Player of the Year
Awarded to the student-athlete who has overcome injuries or illness to be a productive member of their team.
Mackenzie Itcush, Women's Gymnastics

Mackenzie sat out of the 2017 season with a torn achilles and returned to see action in every meet this season. She was named Second Team All-EAGL and All-Tournament First Team, earning both honors on floor. The Wolfpack senior is the ultimate team player, and her perseverance is evident, as she does not let struggles affect her.

Todd Dunston Community Spirit Award
Awarded to the team that serves the community through volunteering and/or charitable fundraising efforts.
Football

The members of the football team have combined for over 1,000 hours of community service. The team reached full participation in volunteering for the Sun Bowl Game Service, Lift for Life, and Toys for Tots and also volunteered with other organizations including Habitat for Humanity Build, Brown Bag Ministry, and community elementary schools.

Heart of the Pack Award
Awarded to student-athletes throughout the 2017-18 year who exemplified the following criteria:
Teammate: exhibiting selfless sacrifice to benefit the team
Effort: consistently giving a great effort
Attitude: demonstrating a positive and can-do attitude
Mindfulness: thinking outside of oneself and finding ways to impact and encourage others
AJ Cole, Football
Bethany Neeley, Women's Track & Field and Cross Country

Wolfpack Unlimited
Presented to the team and/or individual who refuses to accept the status quo by overcoming challenges to achieve goals that seemed unattainable.
Michael Macchiavello, Wrestling

Michael came to NC State having won only a single North Carolina High School state title and had a losing record after his first two seasons. Despite the immense obstacles, Michael became an NCAA Champion in his final season with the Wolfpack, clinching the team's first NCAA trophy. He was also named 2018 ACC Wrestler of the Year.

Kay Yow Award
Presented to the female student-athlete that exemplifies outstanding academic achievement, athletic achievement, community service, and a true spirit of teamwork.
Harli Hubbard, Softball

Harli is an extremely passionate person, and her spirit of teamwork shows through her leadership ability. She has served as the 2017-18 SAAC President and also represented NC State on the ACC Autonomy Committee. She has been recognized on the Dean's List, as well as ACC Honor Roll. During her sophomore year, she broke the program record for saves in a single season and then threw her first complete game shut out during her senior year against Gardner Webb. Harli volunteers with many organizations including the Miracle League, Be the Match, Habitat for Humanity, and many more. She is constantly mentoring underclassmen on her team and throughout the department. She is a teammate through and through.

ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year
Recognizes the top male and female scholar-athlete at each ACC institution. The respective honorees must be in their last year of athletic competition, earned a varsity letter in a conference-sponsored sport, and have a top-five GPA in their gender.
Anton Ipsen, Men's Swimming & Diving

Anton, a senior on the men's swimming and diving team, is from Birkeroed, Denmark. He is majoring in industrial engineering with a minor in statistics. He currently maintains a 4.0 cumulative GPA. His accomplishments include 2017 First Team All-American CoSIDA, three-time Academic All-American, three-time All-ACC Scholar, three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, and 2017 and 2018 ACC Men's Swimming Scholar Athlete of the Year. He was featured in the academic journal Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. After graduation, he plans to receive his master's in data science/data analytics.

Hannah Moore, Women's Swimming & Diving

Hannah, a senior on the women's swimming and diving team, is from Cary, N.C. She is majoring in nutrition science with a 4.0 GPA. She has been on the Dean's List the past two years and recognized on the All-ACC Academic Team and All-American Academic Team. Athletically, Hannah is the 2018 ACC Champion in the 1,650 freestyle, was 2017 All-ACC in the 500 freestyle and 400 IM, and was a 2016 Olympic Trials finalist (400, 800 freestyle) and qualifier (200, 400 IM; 100, 200 backstroke). After college, Hannah plans to continue swimming as a post-graduate athlete and then apply to medical school.

Individual Performance of the Year
Awarded to a men's and women's student-athlete who had an outstanding performance in a competition.
Coleman Stewart, Men's Swimming and Diving - NCAA Championships

Coleman was the NCAA Champion in the 100 backstroke, as well as an All-American in the 100 butterfly and the 200 backstroke. He was a member of two American record relay teams at the NCAA Championships and a member of the gold medal 400 meter relay team. The team took fourth place at nationals, and Coleman scored the most points for the team in school history.

Kiara Leslie, Women's Basketball - NCAA Tournament Second Round versus Maryland

Kiara took over in the women's basketball team's second round game of the NCAA Tournament. The redshirt junior led all players on the court with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The team went on to win the game behind her lead and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007.

Team Performance of the Year
Awarded to a men's and women's team that had an outstanding performance in a competition.
Men's Basketball - Beating No. 2 Duke on January 6, 2018

For the second time in the season, the NC State men's basketball team knocked off the nation's second-ranked team as the Wolfpack downed No. 2 Duke 96-85 at home. It was the first time in program history that NC State beat two teams ranked No. 2 or higher in the regular season. It was head coach Kevin Keatts' first ACC win and NC State's first ACC win of the 2017-18 season. It also marked the first time since 1995 that NC State defeated Duke in two meetings in a row.

Volleyball - NCAA Tournament First Round versus Oregon State

After defeating Oregon State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the volleyball team advanced to the second round of the tournament for the first time in program history. During the match, the team broke a program record in kills, assists, attacking percentage, digs, and blocks in an NCAA match. Bree Bailey also set the program mark for kills by an individual in the NCAA Tournament with 22.

Head Coach of the Year
Awarded to a men's and women's team coach who led their team to success during the season.
Pat Popolizio, Wrestling

Coach Pat Popolizio led the Wolfpack to its first ACC Dual Championship title since 2004 and its first-ever NCAA team trophy, as the team finished fourth in the nation. After leading the team to a 15-2 record, he was named ACC Coach of the Year. He coached a school-record four NCAA All-Americans, two NCAA National finalists, and an NCAA Champion.

Kim Landrus, Gymnastics

In her first year, Coach Kim Landrus led the program to an EAGL conference title and three of the top 15 team scores in program history. The team recorded 19 All-Tournament Team selections and 17 regular season All-EAGL recognitions. Her team hosted an NCAA Regional to cap off its successful season, finishing third and earning its highest NCAA Regional score in school history.

Team of the Year
Awarded to a men's and women's team that had an outstanding season.
Wrestling

The wrestling team finished the season with a 15-2 team record, checking in at second in the ACC and fourth in the NCAA. The squad reached unprecedented heights as it earned its first-ever NCAA trophy with the highest finish in school and ACC history. A school-record four wrestlers became All-Americans, and Michael Macchiavello won an NCAA individual title.

Cross Country

The 2017 women's cross country team continued to write itself into the NC State history books after another successful season that ended in the team's third consecutive top-10 finish. The squad picked up its second-straight and 23rd overall ACC title with a dominant performance, highlighted by a 3-4-5 punch from its top runners. Five members of the team clocked top-21 finishes and earned All-ACC honors. The women's cross country team went on to defend another title, this time at the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regionals. Four runners earned All-Region awards, and the win gave the team an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The team finished eighth at the NCAAs.

Chancellor's Cup
Awarded to the teams with the highest cumulative GPA at the end of the previous fall semester.
Men's: Men's Tennis
Women's: Women's Swimming & Diving
Overall: Rifle

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Wolfpack Athletics Celebrates #STATEment Season At 2018 Wolfies

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