Fans of NC State Athletics have plenty to be proud of in the month of February as well-known athletes have continued to assert their dominance and rising stars have begun to make their names known.
Women’s basketball – Aziaha James
With its starting guard — junior Diamond Johnson — sidelined with an ankle injury, the Pack has been forced to fill the gaping hole she’s left in terms of both scoring and playmaking. Sophomore guard Aziaha James was eager to prove that she’s the woman for the job.
James has been a dependable player for the red-and-white through the season, but it wasn’t until the Feb. 16 game against North Carolina that she really began to shine. The sophomore scored 18 points in an overtime win over the Tar Heels, including 12 points in the fourth quarter and the extra session combined. That Sunday, James followed up that standout performance with a career-high 20 points in her first collegiate start in a loss to the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies.
Men’s basketball – Jarkel Joiner
Graduate guard Jarkel Joiner has been a top performer for NC State men’s basketball all season long, but he’s definitely stepped up his game recently as the Pack has fought tooth and nail to close out the regular season on a high note and secure a good spot in postseason play.
In four of the nine games the red-and-white played in February, Joiner scored north of 25 points and has scored the most total points on the team this month. Joiner’s best game of the month was arguably against Syracuse where, despite the loss, he recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
Women’s tennis – Diana Shnaider
Freshman Diana Shnaider just recently joined NC State women’s tennis at the start of the spring season and she’s already made her presence felt on a very talented team. Shnaider competed with the Pack for the first time in the team’s fourth match of the season, after being granted eligibility from the NCAA.
In just one short month of competition, Shnaider has already been named ACC Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Week twice, and has earned the ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week award once for her impressive wins against No. 2 Ohio State that ultimately earned the red-and-white yet another ranked victory.
Track and field – Katelyn Tuohy
After an extremely successful cross country season, 2022 NCAA cross country champion junior Katelyn Tuohy entered indoor track competition with plenty of high expectations.
As of late, Tuohy has thrived under pressure and continues to add more impressive accomplishments to her resume, including an ACC title in the women’s 3000m this past weekend. Two days before, she anchored NC State’s DMR team, running a blazing fast 4:23 1600m to earn her team a third-place finish.
In early February, Tuohy broke the NCAA record for the 3000m with her time of 8:35.20 and, just a couple days later, she was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, as well as the ACC Women’s Track Performer of the Week. As of Feb. 14, Tuohy held the top three marks in the nation in the 5000m, the 3000m and the mile.
Swimming – Katharine Berkoff
On Friday, Feb. 17, senior Katharine Berkoff won the ACC title in the women’s 100-yard backstroke. As if this feat isn’t impressive enough, it becomes infinitely more impressive when you take into consideration that this is Berkoff’s fourth-consecutive ACC title in the event.
That same weekend, Berkoff also helped to lift the Wolfpack’s 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays to podium finishes.
Gymnastics – Chloe Negrete
Without question, senior Chloe Negrete has been the standout performer for NC State gymnastics throughout the entire season, consistently scoring 9.900 across multiple events.
Negrete’s most recent high score is a 9.950 on the floor exercise, the team’s highest individual score of the season. Just recently, the senior was named the Week Nine EAGL Specialist of the Week, for the second time this season. In last week’s tri-meet against LIU and Temple, Negrete finished first overall on both the vault and the floor exercise.
