Today we finish our countdown of the top 17 Wolfpack moments in 2017 with the top five events in what was truly a memorable year for multiple NC State programs that will hope to have even more great moments in 2018.
5. Women’s swimming captures first ACC title since 1980: Led by a dominating performance in relay events, winning four of five at the meet, the NC State women’s swim team picked up its first ACC title in 37 years at the ACC Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, in February. The Pack edged out nine-time defending champion Virginia to collect the hardware.
Senior Alexia Zevnik won five gold medals and one silver to front the Pack, sweeping the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events and participating on three of the four winning relays. Another leader was freshman Ky-Lee Perry. Perry won gold in the 50-yard freestyle, bronze in the 100-yard freestyle and three relay golds.
The Pack women would go on to finish a school-record seventh at NCAAs, garnering 25 All-American honors. Zevnik, senior Kayla Brumbaum, junior Hannah Moore and the 400-yard freestyle relay all made the finals in their respective events, picking up first-team honors.
4. Kevin Jack gets his vengeance, finishes third at NCAAs: Junior wrestler Kevin Jack earned All-American honors at 141 pounds with his third-place finish at the NCAA Championship in March, beating a familiar foe in Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith to secure the top-three finish.
Meredith, a former NC State wrestler himself, defeated Jack in the second round of NCAAs in 2016 and then again in a tightly contested 6-5 quarterfinal matchup this year. However, Jack bounced back, winning three matches in a row to reach the third-place match where he again met Meredith. This time, Jack prevailed, pinning Meredith in the final minute of the match.
While Jack’s accomplishments stood out, his performance wasn’t the only thing that went well for NC State wrestling in the spring. For the first time in school history all 10 NC State starters booked a trip to NCAAs and helped lead the Pack to a 17th-place finish.
3. Football knocks off Louisville under the lights: By far the best game of NC State football’s breakout 9-4 season came with a 39-25 win over the, at the time, No. 17 Louisville Cardinals at Carter-Finley Stadium in week six. The win gave the Pack its first ranked matchup win at Carter-Finley since 1992, and came against the defending Heisman Trophy winner in Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.
On Thursday night football for this marquee game, the atmosphere at Carter Finley Stadium was absolutely electric. Led by another big game from quarterback Ryan Finley and his receivers and a big game with two tackles for loss and a sack from senior defensive end Bradley Chubb, the Pack took care of business against a top opponent on its home field, finally giving its fans what they’d been waiting for.
The win was punctuated with redshirt junior linebacker Germaine Pratt picking off Jackson and taking it to the house late in the fourth quarter, stiff-arming the 2016 Heisman winner through the pylon for a highlight everyone in attendance will remember for a lifetime.
2. Men’s swimming brings home national title in 800-yard freestyle relay: After winning an ACC title for the third year in a row, the NC State men’s swimming team went to NCAAs and picked up a national title in a single event for the second-straight season.
The team of senior Olympian Soren Dahl, junior Olympian Ryan Held, junior Andreas Vazaios and sophomore Justin Ress smashed the NCAA record in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 6:06.53. The finish was over two seconds faster than the rest of the field, and is the only NCAA record the Pack currently holds.
The win came on the first day of the meet, but the rest of the week went well for NC State as well. For a second-consecutive year, the Pack finished in a school-record fourth place at NCAAs, further solidifying its place among the nation’s best.
1. Chubb, Samuels set records in senior seasons: It was not even known if senior defensive end Bradley Chubb would be back with NC State this year. After a standout junior season, Chubb easily could have been a second-round pick in last year’s NFL draft, but opted to come back for one more year to finish what he started.
Did he ever. Chubb had a phenomenal season, finishing with 10 sacks, tied for seventh in the country, and 26 tackles for loss, good for second. Chubb’s efforts earned him the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, and also the Bronko Nagurski Award as the top defensive player in the nation. They also set an NC State record. Chubb’s 25 career sacks and 54.5 tackles for loss put him at first all time in NC State history ahead of 2006 NFL first-overall pick Mario Williams. Chubb, a virtual lock to be a top-10 pick, will represent the Pack in the NFL next year as perhaps the best defensive player in program history.
Not to be outdone, senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels also had a record-setting season for the Wolfpack. The Pack’s most versatile weapon, capable of being a top scoring threat both on the air and on the ground with 1,000 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns gave NC State fans a season to remember, and will also likely end up in the NFL. Samuels’ 76 catches on the season moved him to 202 for his career. That’s good for the most receptions in school history, as Samuels moved ahead of former receiver Jerricho Cotchery during the Pack’s 52-31 win over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl Friday.
While Pack fans will miss seeing Chubb and Samuels on the field next year, both leave school records, and likely future jersey retirement ceremonies, to remember them by.
Senior halfback Jaylen Samuels celebrates after scoring a touchdown at the NC State vs. UNC-Chapel Hill football game in Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The Wolfpack won 21-33 claiming its eighth win of the season.
