North Carolina State University Athletics
From the Director's Desk
3/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
March 4, 2015
EXPOSURE: A Closer Look
As we head into another exciting time of the collegiate athletic year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has already been a rewarding stretch for NC State athletics, as well as a time of progress and great momentum.
Nowhere is that progress and momentum more evident than in our swimming and diving program. Our men's program won its first ACC Championship since 1992, continuing the trajectory that head coach Braden Holloway and his staff have set for the Wolfpack. The year prior to his arrival we finished eighth, and in just four short years, he's built a championship program.
A year ago our swimming and diving teams both finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships, the only time they've ever both accomplished that feat in the same year. The 2015 NCAA Championships will be contested later this month with the men's program currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, and the women's squad ranked 12th. The NCAA women's championships will take place in Greensboro, giving the Wolfpack Nation the opportunity to support our program.
Recently we announced a significant piece of the continued building process for our football program, as Dave Doeren signed an extension through 2019 to continue to lead the Wolfpack. The growth our program has experienced under Dave's guidance, his and his staff's recruiting efforts, and the overall direction of NC State football gives us much optimism regarding our future.
Additionally, we were fortunate to sign softball coach Shawn Rychcik to a two-year extension that runs through 2019. Shawn's program won the 2013 ACC Tournament and has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years.
As we head towards March, our basketball programs continue to compete at an extremely high level. Our men's team has won 18 games with a very young roster and a strength of schedule that currently ranks No. 5 in the nation. Mark Gottfried's team has five wins over top 50 teams (three more than at this time a year ago when his squad went to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year). Furthermore, his team has three RPI top 25 victories after winning at Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill in recent weeks.
I want to thank you for the support and making the environment at PNC Arena special. We've had sellouts in five of the last six home games and we have the opportunity to secure a total home attendance of more than 300,000 fans for just the second time ever, and first time since PNC Arena's opening year in 1999. I can't put into words how much I appreciate your loyalty and passion for Wolfpack basketball.
Wes Moore continues to work wonders with a shorthanded and injury-plagued roster. His team rallied from 18 points down at half to win vs. Miami, then picked up an amazing 13-point win over No. 10 Duke recently at our annual Hoops 4 Hope game. With a recruiting class coming in next year that's regarded by most as a Top 20 group, our women's program is in very good hands with Wes and his staff.
While March means basketball to many, another program that will compete on the biggest stages is wrestling. Pat Popolizio continues to build a rising wrestling program on the national scene. His squad is ranked in the Top 20 in all three major polls and his team has recently taken down three Top 15 teams as they head into postseason competition.
Our swimming and diving and wrestling programs represent three of five teams currently ranked in the Top 25 in their respective polls, joining women's golf (No. 19) and rifle (No. 13). So many sports are just getting underway from tennis to golf, baseball, softball and track and field. The spring offers a great opportunity to continue to make our #STATEment as an athletic department, building toward our overall goal of being a Top 25 program in the Director's Cup for the first time ever.
Our fans purchased the second highest total of baseball season tickets ever, and we hope everyone will get a chance to come out and cheer for head coach Elliott Avent and our team, as well as all of our programs.
Updates on facilities - we look forward to the completion of the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility this spring, a structure that will have a significant impact on a number of our programs.
We are set to begin our much-anticipated renovation of Reynolds Coliseum and its new Walk of Fame and History, a 17-month project that will greatly benefit several of our programs, but just as significantly, our entire campus and community.
We recently announced competition and facility plans for several of our programs that will be impacted by the Reynolds renovation during 2015-16.
I also hope you had a chance to see a key initiative we unveiled earlier this month, the Wolfpack Promise. In today's changing landscape of college athletics, we wanted to provide a promise to our student-athletes, a clear description of the scope of our commitment to all NC State student-athletes.
Finally, with our program in year three of our Strategic Plan, in the coming months we'll provide an update on our progress.
We are still a work in progress and appreciate more than you can know that we are doing this together. Never underestimate the Wolfpack Family.
In the spirit of the Pack,
Deborah A. Yow
Director of Athletics
EXPOSURE: A Closer Look
As we head into another exciting time of the collegiate athletic year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has already been a rewarding stretch for NC State athletics, as well as a time of progress and great momentum.
Nowhere is that progress and momentum more evident than in our swimming and diving program. Our men's program won its first ACC Championship since 1992, continuing the trajectory that head coach Braden Holloway and his staff have set for the Wolfpack. The year prior to his arrival we finished eighth, and in just four short years, he's built a championship program.
A year ago our swimming and diving teams both finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships, the only time they've ever both accomplished that feat in the same year. The 2015 NCAA Championships will be contested later this month with the men's program currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, and the women's squad ranked 12th. The NCAA women's championships will take place in Greensboro, giving the Wolfpack Nation the opportunity to support our program.
Recently we announced a significant piece of the continued building process for our football program, as Dave Doeren signed an extension through 2019 to continue to lead the Wolfpack. The growth our program has experienced under Dave's guidance, his and his staff's recruiting efforts, and the overall direction of NC State football gives us much optimism regarding our future.
Additionally, we were fortunate to sign softball coach Shawn Rychcik to a two-year extension that runs through 2019. Shawn's program won the 2013 ACC Tournament and has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years.
As we head towards March, our basketball programs continue to compete at an extremely high level. Our men's team has won 18 games with a very young roster and a strength of schedule that currently ranks No. 5 in the nation. Mark Gottfried's team has five wins over top 50 teams (three more than at this time a year ago when his squad went to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year). Furthermore, his team has three RPI top 25 victories after winning at Louisville and UNC-Chapel Hill in recent weeks.
I want to thank you for the support and making the environment at PNC Arena special. We've had sellouts in five of the last six home games and we have the opportunity to secure a total home attendance of more than 300,000 fans for just the second time ever, and first time since PNC Arena's opening year in 1999. I can't put into words how much I appreciate your loyalty and passion for Wolfpack basketball.
Wes Moore continues to work wonders with a shorthanded and injury-plagued roster. His team rallied from 18 points down at half to win vs. Miami, then picked up an amazing 13-point win over No. 10 Duke recently at our annual Hoops 4 Hope game. With a recruiting class coming in next year that's regarded by most as a Top 20 group, our women's program is in very good hands with Wes and his staff.
While March means basketball to many, another program that will compete on the biggest stages is wrestling. Pat Popolizio continues to build a rising wrestling program on the national scene. His squad is ranked in the Top 20 in all three major polls and his team has recently taken down three Top 15 teams as they head into postseason competition.
Our swimming and diving and wrestling programs represent three of five teams currently ranked in the Top 25 in their respective polls, joining women's golf (No. 19) and rifle (No. 13). So many sports are just getting underway from tennis to golf, baseball, softball and track and field. The spring offers a great opportunity to continue to make our #STATEment as an athletic department, building toward our overall goal of being a Top 25 program in the Director's Cup for the first time ever.
Our fans purchased the second highest total of baseball season tickets ever, and we hope everyone will get a chance to come out and cheer for head coach Elliott Avent and our team, as well as all of our programs.
Updates on facilities - we look forward to the completion of the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility this spring, a structure that will have a significant impact on a number of our programs.
We are set to begin our much-anticipated renovation of Reynolds Coliseum and its new Walk of Fame and History, a 17-month project that will greatly benefit several of our programs, but just as significantly, our entire campus and community.
We recently announced competition and facility plans for several of our programs that will be impacted by the Reynolds renovation during 2015-16.
I also hope you had a chance to see a key initiative we unveiled earlier this month, the Wolfpack Promise. In today's changing landscape of college athletics, we wanted to provide a promise to our student-athletes, a clear description of the scope of our commitment to all NC State student-athletes.
Finally, with our program in year three of our Strategic Plan, in the coming months we'll provide an update on our progress.
We are still a work in progress and appreciate more than you can know that we are doing this together. Never underestimate the Wolfpack Family.
In the spirit of the Pack,
Deborah A. Yow
Director of Athletics
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