From the Director's Desk

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Fall semester is underway, and we look forward to the challenges ahead in each of our 23 varsity sports.

    After a highly successful 2014-15 year, in which NC State Athletics posted the highest Learfield Directors' Cup finish in school history at No. 27 and our best –ever Federal Graduation Rate at 71 percent, we realize expectations continue to grow.

    At our year-opening student-athlete event, "Welcome Back Pack", our Fall sports were challenged to set the tone for the year among all our teams and 550 student-athletes.

    So far we have seen our share of strong performances early this season.

    • The volleyball team opened the year by going on the road to SEC opponent South Carolina and sweeping the Gamecock Invitational, highlighted by a 3-0 victory over the hosts in the Championship match.

    • With the on-going renovations to Reynolds Coliseum, the volleyball program will compete at both Carmichael Gym and at Broughton High School this season. We've provided fans with all critical venue information and hope you'll come out and support coach Bryan Bunn's squad before they return to Reynolds in 2016.

    • Both our men's and women's soccer teams have kicked off their seasons. The women's squad hosts the NC State Tournament this weekend, that includes the University of Oregon and William & Mary, while the men's squad returns home on Sept. 11 to begin ACC play against Boston College. The ACC has the most competitive soccer programs in the nation, from top to bottom, and our goal is to get back into the NCAA Tournament as soon as possible.

    There is considerable positive energy about the upcoming 2015 football season and our fans have shown again why they're so incredibly special. Season tickets are sold out, as are mini-PACKS and limited single game inventory remains for most home games. Coach Dave Doeren's squad finished the 2014 season strongly, and our recruiting continues to gain traction, so there is reason to believe the Pack is building a solid foundation that will serve us well for years to come. We are still young, with only 10 seniors, but many younger players gained valuable experience last season and will be keys to our continued progress.

    Earlier this week we announced several critical initiatives that we expect will improve the overall experience for our fans at football games, ranging from a new ingress/egress traffic flow plan to a revamped Walk of Champions and a pedestrian bridge over the Gate B entrance. We certainly hope these and other changes lead to an improved experience for those traveling to Carter-Finley Stadium to cheer on the Wolfpack.

    Two major projects that have received a great deal of attention over the last couple of years are the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility and the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum. The Close-King IPF opened this past June and is a long-awaited asset to football and our other field teams, especially track, since there are sprint lanes and jump pits in the facility. Fans will have an opportunity to view the facility from the lobby of the IPF prior to the first two home games. Many thanks to our lead donors who made this project a reality.

    Additionally, significant progress continues to be made on Reynolds Coliseum. The project will include the first-ever NC State Athletics Walk of Fame & History, air conditioning, elevators, new windows and doors, enhanced concessions and merchandizing areas and a better use of the South end zone seats, along with new telescopic seating and courtside seats. Men's basketball will continue to play our Heritage game each year in Reynolds. The facility renovation remains on track to open in late August of 2016 and is a shared project with campus. Fans can continue to monitor the progress through a live cam.

    We celebrated jumping 62 spots in the Learfield Directors' Cup since 2010 during our year-end meeting in June, but everyone here understands there's still much more work to do. We look forward to the challenges and are privileged to represent Wolfpack Nation.

    The only limitations we have are those we place on ourselves.

    Thank you for believing in what we can become, working together.

    In the spirit of the Pack,

Debbie Yow
Director of Athletics
NC State University

North Carolina State University Athletics

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