N.C. State senior golfer Logan Harrell will begin the 2013-2014 campaign aiming to improve last year’s ninth-place finish at the ACC Championship. The Technician spoke with Harrell, who earned a win at the Hootie and Bulls’ Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, S.C. last season.

Technician: How would you describe your performance and the team’s performance thus far this season?

Harrell: “Personally, I have not gotten off to a very good start. I have been struggling for a while. As far as the team goes, we played pretty well at Chapel Hill as a team. [N.C. State head] coach [Richard Sykes] has said that anybody can help out any day, and that is the truth. We have seven or eight guys that are going to be in and out of the lineup all year, and all of them are good players. It is just a matter of who is going to play well one week and establish themselves.”

Q: What were your experiences in golf in high school and during your tenure as a member of South Carolina’s golf team?

A: “Prior to going to college, I was seventh in the world in my graduating class. Then I got to USC, and I did not get off to a good college start at all. I had my differences with the coach, and I decided to come here. Since I have been here, my game has turned back around. It is still not where it should be, but it is getting closer.”

Q: What were the differences in the Wolfpack’s program as opposed to the Gamecock’s program?

A: “I would say the major difference between the two programs is the coaching styles. [Sykes] instructs you more by you learning from your own experiences, and [South Carolina head] coach [Bill] McDonald was more of a hands-on coach and wanted to get in your business and know what was going on everyday whereas coach Sykes lets you go and lets you do what you need to do to get better which any good player would like to see the program run. They don’t need someone telling them what to do all the time. If you’re a good player, you got to that point for a reason.”

Q: Talk about your progression from when you started with State up until now?

A: “I was only eligible for the spring season last year, and it was an awesome experience. We had a great group of guys. To play with Alban Choi was really sweet. He was a great leader, and it was always good to know he was going to be there every week. I wish I hadn’t finished first [out of the Pack golfers] because I wish someone had beaten me and played a little better. I think that this season will be better than the last.”

Q: What are some major goals that you are setting for yourself for this season, and what would you like to help the team accomplish as a whole?

A: “Personally, I want to be a first-team All-American as one of the top eight players in the country. As a team, we obviously want to win the ACC and NCAA Championships. We want to win every tournament we tee up in. We’re obviously not going to do that, but we would love to win the ACC, and having to host an NCAA Regional tournament at our own golf course at Lonnie Poole would be a huge advantage for us that would hopefully help us reach nationals. Hopefully from there, we can find a way to win it all.”