This week’s round of competition yielded mixed results for NC State Athletics, as the fall season wraps up and the swim and dive team continues to build momentum.
Women’s golf competes at Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
On Monday, Oct. 17 and Tuesday, Oct. 18, the Pack made a trip just down the road to the esteemed Governors Club in Chapel Hill. NC State competed against 13 other teams in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, finishing 11th overall after three rounds.
Freshman Vania Simont continued to shine in her first collegiate season, tying for 16th individually and shooting 220 (+4). Senior Natalie Ambreuster came in just 10 places behind Simont, recording a final score of 223 (+7). Rounding out NC State’s lineup were sophomore Lauren Olivares Leon, junior Isabel Amezcua and senior Inja Fric, earning 43rd, 48th and 62nd place finishes, respectively.
Read more about the Pack’s performance at Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
Men’s soccer competes in two matches at home
NC State played its second and third games of a four game homestand this week with a 2-1 victory over William and Mary Tuesday, Oct. 18 and a 1-1 draw with No. 4 Syracuse Saturday, Oct. 22.
Against the Tribe, both teams were able to record a goal fairly early on in the match but solid defensive efforts from each side kept the other out of the net. As the clock wound down and it seemed that the game would end in a tie, sophomore forward Luke Hille scored off of an assist from freshman midfielder Calem Tommy. William and Mary didn’t stop fighting until the very end, but ultimately the Wolfpack emerged victorious.
Against the Orange, NC State proved it has what it takes to compete with a ranked opponent. Sophomore midfielder Noe Cabezas scored the Pack’s only goal of the night off of an assist from sophomore forward Henrique Santos. Notably, sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Hatsios recorded a career-high eight saves against Syracuse.
Read more about the Pack’s win over the Tribe
Read more about NC State’s hard-fought battle with Syracuse
Volleyball picks up two losses in ACC play
It was a challenging week for NC State volleyball as the squad faced two tough opponents and extended its losing streak to three. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Pack made the short trip to Durham to battle the Blue Devils and found little success. The red-and-white dropped the first set 25-23, took the second 25-22 and conceded the third and fourth sets 25-17 and 25-18, respectively. Although the Pack limited its service errors to five compared to Duke’s 11, the Blue Devils commanded the contest by recording 61 kills, 19 more than the Wolfpack.
On Friday, Oct. 21, NC State returned to Reynolds Coliseum to take on UNC in front of a huge home crowd, hoping to get back on the winning track. Despite an overwhelming amount of support from Wolfpack fans, the red-and-white lost to the Tar Heels in three straight sets. In a match that highlighted the Pack’s weaknesses, UNC won the first, second and third sets 25-24, 25-17 and 25-18 respectively.
Read more about the Pack’s loss to Duke
Read more about NC State’s tough game against UNC
Women’s soccer remains winless in October
The Pack struggled offensively this week as it recorded losses to both the Louisville Cardinals and the Virginia Cavaliers. NC State wasn’t able to score a goal in either contest.
In its last home game of the season, the Wolfpack was outshot 24-5 by the Cardinals. The red-and-white could not piece together a win despite a career-high performance by junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta, who tallied 14 saves. Ultimately, a very sluggish-looking Pack stood no chance against an aggressive and high energy Louisville squad, whose one goal was enough to carry them to victory.
Against the No. 8 Cavaliers, NC State was shut out for the second time this week. Virginia established their dominance early on in the match, netting a goal in the third minute of play and never looking back from there. The red-and-white desperately tried to get back in the game but to no avail, losing the match 4-0.
Read more about the Pack’s loss to Louisville
Read more about NC State’s tough contest against the Cavaliers
Men’s golf closes out the fall season
NC State traveled to Wilmington to compete in the Williams Cup this past week. The Pack came in third out of ten teams, behind UNC-Wilmington and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Senior Brandon Einstein led the charge for the Wolfpack, tying for second place individually with an overall score of 214, two-under par. Notably, only two other competitors were able to finish the tournament under-par. Senior Maximilian Steinlechner was the next finisher for NC State, coming in 10th place at four-over par. Rounding out the Pack’s lineup were senior Carter Graf, junior Ethan Choi and freshman Joey Lenane, finishing in 24th, 33rd and 57th place, respectively. Sophomore Jake Witkor competed as an individual, tying for 54th place.
Overall, the red-and-white put up a solid performance at the Williams Cup, ending their fall season on a high note.
Read more about the Pack’s performance at the Williams Cup
Swim and dive cruises past Kentucky
On Friday, Oct. 21, NC State competed in its home opener against the Kentucky Wildcats. Although both the men’s and women’s squads were missing talented seniors Ross Dant and Katherine Berkoff, both teams pulled off a win over the Wildcats.
On the women’s side, the No. 4 Wolfpack beat No. 12 Kentucky 172-126. Impressive sprint performances from graduate Kylee Alons and junior Abby Arens helped lead the red-and-white to victory. Arens took first in the 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard IM and 100-yard freestyle, while Alons emerged victorious in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
On the men’s side, No. 4 NC State defeated the unranked Wildcats 188-105. The Pack claimed first through fourth place in the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly. Notably, national champion in the 100-yard backstroke senior Kacper Stokowski competed in the 500-yard freestyle. He recorded an impressive 4:20.40, which couldn’t be counted for any points but beat all the other swimmers in the race.
