In the four weeks since the last issue of the Technician, NC State students fought through exams while the Wolfpack spring sports teams were fighting through the closing weeks of their seasons. The Technician sports staff takes a look back at the highlights of NC State athletics while we were away.
Men’s Tennis
The NC State men’s tennis team season has come to a close after the Wolfpack fell to the No. 30 Tulsa in the first-round of the NCAA Championships last weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. The loss followed the team’s early exit from the ACC Championships against Florida State.
The ACC Championship began with the Seminoles taking two of the three doubles matches in tiebreakers.
Sophomore Nick Horton attempted to bring the Pack back with a 6-3 victory in his singles match, but the Seminoles seized the contest with a win against senior Austin Powell.
Two weeks later, the State team traveled to Texas for the NCAA match against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane took both doubles matches and the first singles match to gain a 3-0 lead; snapping senior Beck Bond’s 10-match winning streak in the process.
The Pack fought back hard, but Horton fell 6-4 in the final match, securing the win for Tulsa.
Although the team suffered a loss in the NCAA Championship opener, this will be the fourth year in a row the Wolfpack has made an appearance in the NCAA tournament, a new record for the program.
Women’s Tennis
The NC State women’s tennis team was defeated by to No. 6 Georgia Tech during the second round of the ACC Championship after advancing the day before with a win against Wake Forest.
Despite the upset over the Demon Deacons, the Wolfpack did not qualify for a spot in the NCAA Championships, ending the team’s 2015 campaign.
The Wolfpack claimed the lead early on against the Deacons, with seniors Elisha Hande and Nicole Martinez taking the first doubles match, 8-2, and sophomore Liza Fieldsend and senior Sophie Nelson taking the second doubles, 8-4.
Fieldsend continued to excel, winning her singles match along with freshman Tayla Stenta. Hande secured the Wolfpack win with a 6-4 win, allowing the team to advance to the second round with a 4-2 victory.
The next day, the Wolfpack went up against Georgia Tech, losing 4-0. Hande and Martinez won their second doubles match of the tournament, while Fieldsend and junior Joanna Nalborska dropped their single matches to ranked opponents.
Track & Field
The NC State track and field team has kept itself busy with plenty of competition, with major events such as the Duke Twilight and ACC Championships.
At the Duke Twilight on May 7, a handful of Wolfpack athletes enjoyed strong performances. On the men’s side, student assistant Kris Kornegay-Gober took first in the high-jump with a mark of 7’0.50”.
For the women, redshirt sophomore Megan Moye set a personal best time of 2:08.53 in the 800m run en route to a third place finish. Sophomore Paisley Simmons also set a personal best, this one coming in the 200m dash with a time of 23.43 en route to a first place finish.
At the ACC Championships, the Pack started off strong with juniors Alexis Perry and Jonathan Addison each taking silver medals in the long jump on the first day.
On the final day, Perry finished second place on the 100m hurdles and sophomore Erika Kemp took silver in the 5,000m race, helping the women earn 59 points and a seventh overall finish in the championships. The men didn’t perform as well, finishing 12th overall with 33 points
Men’s Golf
The NC State men’s golf team’s season has ended after a sixth-place result in the NCAA Regionals held at Yale University.
Despite entering the final day of competition in control of second place, the Wolfpack finished just one stroke away from gaining a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Junior Carter Page finished tied for fifth and created a career best with a score of 207 (71-68-68).
Senior James Chapman finished his NC State career with a career best as well, tying for 17th with a score of 211 (71-70-70).
The NCAA Regional was the seventh appearance in eight seasons for State.
Women’s Golf
The NC State women’s golf team has earned a place in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships for the third time in the program’s history.
NC State will travel to Bradenton, Florida, to compete against 24 other talented teams May 22–27.
The NCAA Regional was held at the Wolfpack’s own Lonnie Poole Golf Course May 9. The Pack battled its way to claim third place, shooting the best team score, 291, on the final day of competition.
Rachael Taylor, Vivian Tsui, and Lindsey McGetrick stole the spotlight tying for fifth, 22nd and 30th respectively. Taylor ranked second among the field with 14 birdies in the tournament.
