TechSports’ 2022 Pack Athletics predictions

2021 was a very memorable year for NC State Athletics, but could 2022 surpass it? Only time will tell. In the meantime, the TechSports Staff offer their predictions for the new year.

Nicholas Schnittker – NC State will win another team NCAA Championship this year

The NC State women’s XC team ended the University’s 38-year drought in 2021, but I don’t think Wolfpack nation will need to wait nearly as long for the next one. From both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, to wrestling, women’s basketball, baseball and more, NC State has a lot of programs with high rankings and recent deep postseason runs. And of course, Laurie Henes’ team could always repeat in the fall.

No matter how you shake it, NC State has a lot of teams poised to do some special things. 

Wade Bowman – Wolfpack men’s soccer gets back to winning ways

NC State men’s soccer has now suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and there’s plenty of reason to believe that the squad can turn things back around this year. The Pack will be without some of its biggest names in the coming year such as redshirt senior goalkeeper and program legend Leon Krapf, senior forward and recent draftee Ivy Brisma, and his partner in the attacking third, senior forward Kuda Muskwe. Those losses are inarguably large ones for the squad, but leave plenty of room for younger talent to begin making a name for themselves.

Those looking to continue their development while elevating the Pack’s play include freshman forward Luke Hille who has an unmatched eye for goal. Hille’s freshman campaign was something special, making four starts in seven appearances and having six goals and an assist to show for them. On the opposite end of the field, junior defender Kendall Edwards will only continue to improve on the flashes of brilliance he showed a season ago. Things are definitely looking up for head coach George Kiefer’s squad, and the new, youthful faces of Pack men’s soccer should make next season an exciting one.

Will Thornhill – Pack9 will dominate recruiting trail 

Coming off its first trip to Omaha, Nebraska in eight years, NC State baseball has some serious momentum going into the new season. This is not only because of the success of the 2021 team, but because of the new renovations to Doak Field that are beginning after the season. A new locker room, batting cages, weight room, video board and modern seating areas will make Doak Field finally look like an ACC baseball stadium.

NC State head coach Elliott Avent and associate head coach Chris Hart will be hungry to hit the recruiting trail. A new facility, team success and proven development of players will attract some of the top prep baseball players from across the country to commit to the Pack. 

Ben Ellis  – NC State football will finally break through and win the ACC Championship

After coming oh-so-close to making its first-ever ACC Championship game in 2021, the NC State football team will be locked and loaded for another run at the title in 2022. Replacing the likes of senior wideout Emeka Emezie, the running back duo of sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. and sophomore offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu, among others, will not be easy, but the team is returning its star quarterback, redshirt sophomore Devin Leary and a host of key starters on both sides of the ball for what will be one of the most highly anticipated seasons in school history.

The hype is real for the Pack in 2022 as it was ranked No. 8 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early top 25, the highest of any team in the ACC. College football fans know that those kinds of rankings don’t mean much, however, and one only has to look at what happened to UNC in 2021 as an example. The question heading into the season will be whether or not NC State can handle the hype and replace the production it lost in 2021. 

If all goes well, the Pack will do something it hasn’t done since 1979 and have the chance of playing for something worth even more.