North Carolina State University Athletics
Swimming and Diving Collects Five Awards at 2015 Wolfies
4/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
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RALEIGH, N.C.- The NC State Athletic Department held its annual "Wolfie Awards" Monday evening at the Mckimmon Center. This gala event showcased the best and brightest in Wolfpack Athletics over the past calendar year.
The swimming and diving team collected five of the 16 awards at the annual event: Anton Ipsen and Krista Duffield were named Male and Female Rookie of the Year, while Simonas Bilis garnered the Men's Performance of the Year Award after his showing at the ACC Championships.
After #STATEment seasons in the pool from the men's and women's squads, head coach Braden Holloway was tabbed Coach of the Year, and the men's squad earned Team of the Year thanks to a historical season among the men's program record book.
Taking home top awards for the evening were Emily Weiman of the softball team and Nick Gwiazdowski of the wrestling team. Those two standouts were named the recipients of the HC Kennett Award - NC State University's highest athletic award.The Kennett is given annually to a male and female superior athlete who demonstrate the finest attributes of good sportsmanship and team play.
Here's a look at some of the other award winners on the Pack's special night:
Male Rookie of The Year- Anton Ipsen, Swimming and Diving
Named 2015 ACC Men's Freshmen of the Year and went undefeated in dual meets throughout the entire season while swimming the 500 & 1000 freestyle, Anton Ipsen was a two-time ACC Champion (500 & 1650 Freestyle) and the top freshman point scorer at both the ACC and NCAA Championships. Ipsen broke school records in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle events and earned All-American status in the 1650 freestyle and honorable mention All-America honors in the 500 freestyle.
Female Rookie of the Year- Krista Duffield, Swimming and Diving
A key member of the ACC/school record-setting 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, which earned All-American status at the NCAA Championships, Krista Duffield was also part of the school record-setting 400 medley relay squad. Duffield was an ACC finalist in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and the 100 butterfly while also earning the honor of top freshman point scorer at the ACC Championships.
Comeback Player of the Year- Jarvis Byrd, Football
Battling back from his third ACL surgery to play for the Pack in 2014, Jarvis Byrd underwent countless hours of rehab after being granted a sixth year by the NCAA because he wanted to help lead the young Wolfpack. Byrd played in nine games (four starts) despite continuing to be hampered by injuries, but his encouragement and leadership off the field was invaluable to the team. Before the season, Coach Doeren honored his dedication to the team by giving him the #1 jersey.
Community Spirit Award-Football
The football team spent a total of 1,500 hours visiting hospitals, schools and performing other service work in 2014. Various members of the team helped with 13 sports clinics, visited eight middle schools, seven elementary schools, made seven total hospital visits, assisted with Toys for Tots and the Krispy Kreme Challenge, among other charitable activities. NC State football student-athletes also visited a women's clinic, helped with Positive Action for Youth and hosted a movie night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Performance of the Year (Male)- Simonas Bilis at the ACC Championships
Voted the top swimmer at the ACC Championships, Bilis won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle in school record times, two of which shattered previous league marks. He was also a member of three ACC winning relays (200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays), each of which were finished in school and league record times.
Performance of the Year (Female)- Women's Golf at the NCAA Championships
The NC State women's golf team placed 10th at the NCAA Championship at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. This marked the best performance in program history and was the culmination of hard work and team effort by Caroline Ellington, Ana Menendez, Brittany Marchand, Augusta James, Rachael Taylor, Vivian Tsui, Lindsay McGetrick and Stephanie Pribonic.
Male Scholar Athlete of the Year- John Harwell, Cross Country and Track and Field
John is double majoring in electrical engineering and business economics, and is ranked as one of the top students in both colleges with a cumulative GPA of 3.91. He was recognized as a scholar athlete and on the Dean's List every semester that he was eligible.
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year- Elisha Hande, Women's Tennis
Elisha is majoring in economics and minoring in German, and is ranked amongst the top students in her class with a 4.0 cumulative GPA (4.157 GPA Highest). She has been recognized as a scholar athlete and on the Dean's List every semester.
Kay Yow Award- Brittany Marchand, Women's Golf
Brittany Marchand helped her team to their best finish in NCAA history. She is the first in program history to earn Women's Golf Coaches Association All-Americanawardand won it for the second time her senior year. Brittany received All-ACC team accolades three years in a row. Academically, Brittany was an ACC All-Scholar Team selection in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and has been a Caterpillar Scholar Athlete each semester she has been at State.
She was named the 2014 ACC Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned the highest honor for any amateur golfer when she was selected to represent her country in the World Amateur. She has chosen to lead by example in her fifth year, choosing to be a student assistant coach. She gives her time selflessly and is passionate about supporting her program. Her coach, Page Marsh, sums it up best by saying, "Brittany's legacy here at NC State is remarkable and inspiring. She has made all of us better by her presence. I am very sorry that CoachYowdid not have an opportunity to watch her growth over time, whichKayenjoyed seeing in others."
Coach of the Year- Braden Holloway, Swimming and Diving
In just his fourth year of coaching, Holloway and his staff have taken the men's team from eighth in the ACC to the top, with the men's team recently winning its 25th ACC Championship (first in 22 years). Over the four days of competition, the men won 10 of 21 events, including four of the five relays, accumulating a total of 22 medals and breaking a total of 24 school, conference, ACC meet and pool records. Thanks to the program's success at the conference championship, Holloway was tabbed ACC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year. The men also finished with an undefeated season (first since 1982), and earned the highest NCAA finish (eighth) under the current staff. Combined, the program earned 40 All-America honors (26 men, 14 women) at the national level. On the women's side, the 17th-place finish marks the highest under the current staff.
Team of the Year (Men's)- Men's Swimming and Diving
An undefeated dual meet season (10-0) was followed up emphatically by an ACC Championship and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships (highest among ACC schools). The Wolfpack recorded 26 All-American performances, six ACC individual champions and four ACC relay champions, all while breaking six ACC records on the year.
Team of the Year (Women's)- Golf
NC State enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2014. The team placed third in the ACC and third at the NCAA East Regional before a record finish of 10th place at the NCAA Championship in Tulsa. Augusta James and Brittany Marchand captured WGCA Honorable Mention All-America and All-ACC honors. Also thriving off the course, the team received a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for earning high scores in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) compilation and claimed the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Marchand).
Men's HC Kennett Award- Nick Gwiazdowski, Wrestling
An escape point with 17 seconds left gave NC State redshirt junior Nick Gwiazdowski his second straight NCAA title. Entering the competition as the No. 1 seed, Gwiazdowski defended his heavyweight title with a 7-6 win over Michigan's Adam Coon in the finals of the 2015 NCAA Championships. Gwiazdowski is the first wrestler in school history to win multiple NCAA titles and only the third in ACC history to accomplish the feat. He finished the 2014-15 season with a perfect 35-0 record and now holds the school record with 55 straight wins dating back to last season, and will enter next season with the nation's longest winning streak.
Women's HC Kennett Award- Emily Weiman, Softball
For the second consecutive year, Emily Weiman was named a first team All-ACC selection following an excellent 2014 season. She recorded 30 wins during the year to post the second-most wins in the conference and ninth-most among NCAA Division I pitchers. Weiman made 50 appearances on the season, which was the most in the ACC and second in the NCAA. She threw 12 complete game shutouts, which broke the school record, was the most in the conference and the sixth-most in the NCAA. She collected 253 strikeouts during the season to finish third in the ACC and 21st in the NCAA in that category. Weiman tossed her second career no-hitter during the year and posted a season high 12 strikeouts in a win against UNCW. She was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Honor Roll.
Wolfpack Unlimited Award (Team)- Men's Basketball
Expectations weren't sky high for NC State men's basketball this season, as the young Wolfpack was voted 10th in the ACC Preseason Poll. The team, which had just one senior play significant minutes, won 22 games against the nation's 6th-toughest schedule, posted a winning record in ACC play, and advanced to the Sweet 16. The Wolfpack defeated four nationally-ranked teams and was ranked No. 31 overall by the NCAA Tournament Committee. With its win over Villanova, NC State became the only team in the tournament to beat a No. 1 seed team before the Final Four.
Wolfpack Unlimited Award (Individual)- Kevin Jack, Wrestling
Named the 2015 ACC Freshman of the Year, Kevin Jack set an NC State freshman program record with 31 victories in a single season en route to placing fourth at the ACC Championships and fifth at the NCAA Championships. During his memorable run through the NCAA Championships, Jack defeated the No. 5, No. 12, No. 4 and No. 11 seeds to earn his All-America honors in the 141-pound class. Jack's fifth-place result at NCAAs marks the Pack's best finish ever in this weight class.
