Although NC State isn’t normally in the conversation for a national championship in football or basketball, it has found well-rounded success in the athletics program in recent history under Director of Athletics Debbie Yow.
In the 2017-18 academic year, the Pack finished 15th in the nation in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, which gives points in the NCAA championship for each respective sport. It marked the first top-25 finish in program history.
It doesn’t substitute the excitement of winning a national title in any of the major sports, but a good standing in the Directors’ Cup represents a balanced and successful athletics program that NC State fans should be proud of.
In the most recent standings update for the 2018-19 school year that was released on Jan. 10, NC State ranked at No. 10 in the country. Due to top-20 finishes from both soccer squads and both cross country teams, the Pack is set up nicely to continue that success.
Most fans are excited for Kevin Keatts, the men’s basketball team and “captain” Braxton Beverly’s game-winning shot over Clemson, and rightfully so. This is a team and a future that Pack faithful should be thrilled about, but there should be an overall positive outlook toward the rest of the year with multiple NC State teams ranked inside the top 10 currently.
The undefeated women’s basketball team (20-0, 7-0 ACC) leads the way ranked at No. 7 in the country. Despite a number of injuries, head coach Wes Moore has done a fantastic job of preparing the only remaining undefeated basketball program in Division I, men’s or women’s.
Although it is unlikely to continue the undefeated streak through a number of ranked teams left on the schedule, including No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 3 Louisville, the Pack should secure a great final rank for the Directors’ Cup.
A little less well-known is the NC State wrestling team (13-2, 1-0 ACC), who currently ranks at No. 8 nationally. Head coach Pat Popolizio has turned a wrestling program that went 5-6 in 2012, the year before Popolizio took over, into a powerhouse in collegiate wrestling after finishing tied for fourth in last year’s NCAA Championships.
Although the team has been unable to find wins against Ohio State in the last two seasons, it has come up with a national championship from Michael Macchiavello and a big win this season over No. 11 Nebraska.
Finally, the NC State swimming and diving team is relatively underappreciated on campus in terms of athletics. The men are ranked at No. 5 while the women rank at No. 6 and they both came up with exciting wins against ranked Virginia teams on Saturday.
Moral of the story is to go support these teams as all three have created an exciting atmosphere to watch events, even if someone has no knowledge of the sport. Moore, Popolizio and head swimming coach Braden Holloway have all built their respective programs to compete with the best in the nation.
Keep an eye on the Directors’ Cup standings as the end of the year grows nearer. Stanford has won the Directors’ Cup in each of the last 24 years, but NC State can certainly make a jump to get even higher than it already is.
