We’re at the point in the year where winter and spring sports are beginning to collide, with the baseball and softball seasons beginning and the men’s and women’s basketball teams heading toward postseason play. Let’s take a look at where some of the Wolfpack teams are stacking up nationally.
Women’s basketball (No. 4)
With six victories over ranked teams, the women’s basketball team is rolling. Propelled by returning upperclassmen like senior center Elissa Cunane and graduate guard Raina Perez, along with new faces like sophomore guard Diamond Johnson, the Wolfpack is in a good position to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Most recently, the women’s basketball team dominated in the second half against Duke and beat then-No. 11 Georgia Tech last week in the Play4Kay game. NC State moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in this week’s AP Poll.
Baseball (No. 10)
Despite losing several key players that helped propel it to Omaha, Nebraska, the baseball team should be in a good position to make another postseason run. Players like senior infielder/outfielder Devonte Brown and sophomore right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen, along with new recruits like freshmen infielders Payton Green and Tommy White, should be able to push this team to greatness.
Men’s swimming (No. 2)
A perennial contender, the men’s swimming team dominated UNC-Wilmington in its most recent meet of the spring semester by a score of 184-86. The men also took down Duke 177-112 and Virginia 191-104 in January. The Pack is up this week in the polls from No. 3 last week.
Women’s swimming (No. 4)
The women’s swimming team hasn’t been as lucky as the men’s team, falling to Texas narrowly, 156.5-143.5. However, this isn’t a blight on the Pack’s record, as Texas is the No. 2 team in the nation, and NC State rose in this week’s rankings, going from No. 5 to No. 4.
Wrestling (No. 4)
As per usual, the wrestling team finds itself in the top five of the NWCA Coaches Poll and is on an incredibly strong run of matchups that saw it outscore opponents 166-26 in its last five matchups. Most recently, the Wolfpack took down Pitt 26-9 and Virginia 32-2. Next up, the wrestling team will take on No. 22 UNC-Chapel Hill and No. 7 Virginia Tech in back-to-back matchups.
Men’s tennis (No. 22)
The men’s tennis team is on a hot streak, winning each of its last three matchups, including a victory over then-No. 25 UCF. It also took down Presbyterian and North Carolina Central by a combined score of 14-0. As a result of its three-match win streak, men’s tennis moved up two spots in this week’s ITA top-25 coaches poll.
Women’s tennis (No. 4)
Another one of the Pack’s significant contenders, the women’s tennis team has moved up two spots to No. 4 overall after taking down then-No. 14 Auburn and then-No. 3 Georgia in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship last week.
Gymnastics (No. 30)
The gymnastics team recently lost two of three matchups in its quad meet against No. 32 West Virginia and No. 45 Pitt but has since rebounded with a narrow win at LIU, winning 196.725-195.050. NC State’s average score is 195.450.
Women’s track and field (No. 11)
The women’s track and field team most recently participated in a triple-meet weekend. Some highlights include graduate student Anna Vess earning first place in the women’s mile and junior Ally Henson earning fourth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final, both coming in the Darius Dixon Memorial Invite.
