Popolizio Named NWCA Coach of the Year Finalist for Fifth Straight Year
3/14/2022 6:51:00 PM | Wrestling
Pack won fourth straight ACC Championship, perfect 5-0 in ACC duals too
RALEIGH, N.C. - For the fifth straight year, Pat Popolizio has been named a finalist for the NWCA DI National Coach of the Year presented by Defense Soap. NC State brought home its fourth straight ACC Championship in 2022, and also finished #4 in the final NWCA Coaches Poll.
Popolizio is in his 10th season at the helm of the Wolfpack wrestling program. The Pack heads into the 2022 NCAA Championships with a school-record 10 NCAA qualifiers for only the second time in school history. In 2022, Popolizio led the Pack to its fourth straight ACC Championships, tying a school record for most consecutive titles, and it was Popolizio's fifth overall.
The Pack also won the ACC Dual Championship for the fourth time under Popolizio, going a perfect 5-0 and outsourcing conference foes 147-33 in duals this year. For the seventh straight year, the Pack finished with a top-10 ranking in the final NWCA Coaches Poll, fourth with a 13-1 season mark. NC State has been ranked in the top-10 in each of the last 98 polls dating back to the 2015-16 season.
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