North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State to Host All-America Day
9/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Sept. 1, 2011
Raleigh, N.C. -
Saturday's football season opener against Liberty will also be State's inaugural "All-America Day," as the Department of Athletics will honor all Wolfpack student-athletes (past and present) who have won All-America honors during their careers. The attendees will be recognized at halftime and at a reception on Friday evening.
The Pack standouts who are planning to attend the events this week include former stars from a variety of varsity sports. Here's a snapshot of some Pack All-Americans who will be in attendance:
State Coaches: Two current Wolfpack head coaches will be represented among the honorees: Women's cross country coach Laurie Henes and swimming and diving coach Braden Holloway. Henes has served as the head coach of State's women's cross country program since the fall of 2006 and also serves as an assistant for both the men's and women's track and field programs. She was the national champion in the 5,000 meters in 1991 earned two All-America certificates in cross country (1991 and `92). She finished fourth in the nation in cross country in 1992.
Holloway, who was named head coach of the Wolfpack swimming and diving program this past June, won a total of five All-America honors during his final three years of collegiate competition: three in the 100-yard backstroke (1999, 2000, 2001) and two in relay swims.
Former cross country All-American (2001) Chris Seaton is also an assistant coach for the cross country and track and field programs.
Football: Among the former football All-Americans will be two defenders who played in what might have been one of the most dominant secondaries in 1989 and 1990. Jesse Campbell won first-team honors from Football News and The Sporting News, was a second-team choice of UPI and a third-team AP All-American in 1990. That year he tallied 78 tackles, including four for loss and broke up 10 passes. He was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1988.
Sebastian Savage joined the Pack the year after Campbell and earned first-team all-conference accolades in 1991 and 1992 and was named a second-team All-American by UPI and Football News in 1992.
The only All-American brothers in Wolfpack football history, Terrence and Torry Holt, will also be in attendance.
Men's Basketball: The memorable duo of "Fire and Ice" -- the Pack's all-time leading scorer Rodney Monroe and all-time assist leader Chris Corchiani -- will both take part in the festivities. Monroe played for the Pack from 1988-91, and finished his career with a school record 2,551 career points. He earned first-team All-America honors in 1991 as a senior, after being named honorable mention during his junior campaign.
Corchiani became the first player in NCAA history record 1,000 career assists, finishing with a school record 1,038 while playing along side Monroe all four seasons. Corchiani was a honorable mention selection in 1990, and won third-team honors as a senior in 1991.
Also returning for the men's hoops squad will be two stars from the 1950s: ACC Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year Lou Pucillo and ACC Tournament MVP Vic Molodet.
Perhaps the most well-known All-American ever to wear a State jersey, David Thompson will also be on hand. Thompson was a unanimous consensus first-team All-American for three years - 1973, 74 and 75.
Swimming and Diving: One of the representatives of this program will be legend Jim Umbdenstock, who earned All-America honors every year he competed at State, collecting five ACC individual titles along the way. He swept the 100 butterfly at the conference championships every year from 1976-79, also taking the 50 freestyle as a junior in 1978. Umbdenstock was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Team, and still holds the third-fastest 100 butterfly in school history.
Men's Golf: One returnee from this squad will be Kelly Mitchum, the only four-time All-American in NC State men's golf history. He earned those plaudits from 1990-93 under head coach Richard Sykes. A three-time All-ACC selection, Mitchum was the 1991 ACC champion and was a four-time winner with the Wolfpack. He remains one of only three golfers in school history to compete in four NCAA Championships. His 64 at the 1992 PING All-American event is still the lowest round record at NC State.
Women's Soccer: The women's soccer program will be well represented on Saturday, as former head coach of the Wolfpack program, Laura Kerrigan, returns. Kerrigan was NC State's first All-American women's soccer player (1985) and still ranks second in school history with 135 points, 53 goals and 90 matches played. All four teams she played on advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with the 1988 team making it to the national championship game.
Thori Staples is widely regarded as the best defender in school history. NC State's only four-time All-ACC selection, she was also a three-time All-America choice. She burst onto the scene as the 1992 National Freshman of the Year and then later in her career helped set a school record with 19 wins in 1995, leading the Pack to the NCAA third round that season.
Cross Country: Two current student-athletes will represent the plethora of All-Americans that have come out of the Wolfpack cross country programs over the years. Laura Hoer is the defending Atlantic Coast Conference individual champion and is a sophomore with the current women's team. Ryan Hill is a two-time All-American and is a senior with the current Wolfpack men's squad.
Bona Jones was All-American as a freshman in 2006 and finished second among all freshmen nationally that season. A December graduate, she is currently an intern with the Athletics Media Relations office.
Representing former cross country runners will be David Honea, who carried a perfect 4.0 GPA in electrical engineering and earned a postgraduate scholarship from the ACC, as well as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the National Science Fellowship Award, and the prestigious Walter Byers Award as the nation's premier student-athlete. In addition to his athletic and academic achievements, Honea was also a contest on Jeopardy in April of 1990 during the "Jeopardy College Tournament". He made it to the final round, taking $7,500 in winnings. He later went on to compete on "Who Want's to be a Millionaire?"-- winning $125,000.
Track and Field: No other program in NC State history has produced more national champions (10) and All-Americans (212) than Wolfpack track and field. Under the direction of Tom Jones and, for the last three decades, Rollie Geiger, NC State runners and jumpers have excelled on the national level, beginning with Julie Shea's five national titles and eight All-America awards from 1979-81, right up until this season when the indoor and outdoor track teams produced three All-Americans, Ryan Hill, T.J. Graham and Andie Cozzarelli.
Several of those All-Americans are still contributing to the Pack. Former national champion Laurie Henes is the head coach of the NC State women's cross country team and an assistant for the track program. Distance runner Chris Seaton is an assistant with the track program, Bona Jones is an intern in the media relations office and long jumper Dexter Adams is a graphic designer for the athletics marketing department.
And one of the most recent All-Americans, T.J. Graham, who earned honorable mention honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60-meter dash, is on the field as a wide receiver for the Wolfpack football program, continuing the long tradition of football players who have excelled on the track.
