Navigating NC State’s campus, and even more so its many athletic facilities, can be a bit tricky at times. Here are some tips from one student to another about how to get the most out of your gameday experience this fall no matter what sporting event you decide to attend.
Carter-Finley Stadium
No sporting event brings as many Wolfpack fans to one place like Saturdays at Carter-Finley Stadium. Whether you’re there for football, a tailgate or responsible drinking, the experience is a must for any NC State student.
Dating back to the 2022 season, Carter-Finley has been a sold-out venue for 13 consecutive games. With the 2024 season being one of the most anticipated in recent memory, don’t expect it to be easy to find a ticket.
The only way to get a free student ticket is through the student lottery system. If the lottery isn’t already your enemy, it soon will be when it says you didn’t get a ticket for Saturday.
Your ticket fate is not entirely up to chance, however. When attending other NC State sporting events there will often be one or two attendants swiping student IDs that increase your student loyalty points and thus increase your chances of getting a football ticket.
And if you are one of the lucky ones to get a ticket, getting through the student gate before kick-off is nothing short of a free-for-all. With the entire student section getting funneled through one gate, try to get there early if you want to avoid the frat lot crowd.
Reynolds Coliseum
No athletic building at NC State has quite as much history as Reynolds Coliseum does. Once the home of Wolfpack men’s basketball, Reynolds is now the feature location for women’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and wrestling.
Outside the building, you’ll see statues of coaches who have left their mark on the rich history of NC State. Take a step into Truist Grand Hall, and you will truly get to appreciate the grandeur of Reynolds.
Just past the ticket booths is the NC State Athletics Walk of Fame and History, permanently enshrining the former leaders of the Pack and honoring their athletic achievements.
Between the four Division I sports hosted in the arena, they combined for two ACC Championships and a Final Four appearance last season. All of the programs also finished last season with winning records.
The capacity of Reynolds is only 5,500 following the $35 million renovations done in 2016, so getting a ticket to marquee events has gotten harder, especially for students. Student tickets for all of these events are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t be surprised to see the die-hard fans lining up outside a couple of hours before games.
PNC Arena
Home to NC State men’s basketball and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, PNC Arena is one of the largest college basketball facilities in the nation. With 19,700 red seats and a 3,000-seat student section, PNC Arena can get loud especially when Tobacco Road rivals UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke come to town.
The 3,000-seat courtside student section fills up fast, so if you aren’t prepared to line up outside PNC Arena a couple of hours before tip-off, rain or shine, don’t be surprised when one of the ticket ushers hands you a ticket in the upper 300-level.
There aren’t many bad seats given the way PNC Arena is designed, but on game days when the arena isn’t full, being all the way up in the nosebleeds can take away from the gameday atmosphere.
Unless you are willing to sell an arm and a leg for limited food options, eat before you get to PNC Arena. PNC is not a wallet-friendly food establishment by any means, so fill up before you make the trip.
No sport has taken off in the Carolinas quite like hockey has, with the Carolina Hurricanes resurging as a playoff-caliber team. With 41 regular season home games from October to April, the Hurricanes will often offer last-minute ticket deals for students.
NC State has its own club hockey team, the Icepack, whose popularity has also exploded in recent years. 24,000 fans showed up to support the Icepack when it played outdoors in Carter-Finley, only enhancing the rivalry between them and UNC’s own club hockey team.
A battle for the Governor’s Cup is only fitting on the biggest of stages and for the past year, PNC Arena has been that stage. An annual battle between the two teams will take place in PNC once again, although the date for now is still uncertain.
Dail Soccer and Track Complex
Located in the heart of main campus is the Dail Soccer and Track Complex, where it hosts men’s and women’s soccer throughout the fall semester. Across the street from Reynolds and Talley Student Union, the Dail Soccer and Track Complex always has an event going on.
With standard seating spanning the width of the field and bleacher seating behind both goals, you shouldn’t have trouble finding a seat unless you want to sit with a large group all together.
Causing havoc for the away team is the Wolfpack’s Red Terrors. A student-led support group for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams, they have their own chants and flares and are at every home game.
With seven games before the first football game of the year, these soccer events are great ways to get some extra loyalty points and increase your odds of getting student tickets.
