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Sophomore guard Terquavion Smith celebrates on the sidelines during the game against Duke in PNC Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. The Wolfpack won 84-60.

 Danielle Meyer

NC State athletics was challenged across the board this week as each team was uniquely challenged, ultimately coming away with mixed results. 

Women’s basketball falls to No. 20

Despite a strong 12-1 start to the season, NC State has struggled to stay afloat in the ACC as of late. After suffering losses to Duke and Boston College in the previous week, the Pack continued its downward spiral last week with losses to the Florida State Seminoles and the No. 22 UNC Tar Heels.

To the Wolfpack’s credit, it did play a respectable game against Virginia on Sunday, Jan. 8. An excellent all-around effort from NC State allowed it to cruise past the Cavaliers, 87-62. Five athletes scored in the double digits: senior forward Jada Boyd had 13 points, senior center Camille Hobby and graduate forward Mimi Collins both had 12 and graduate center River Baldwin and junior guard Diamond Johnson each scored 10. 

The next two games were a different story, however. Against the Seminoles, the Pack struggled defensively and was unable to make up for it on the other side of the floor. NC State lost 91-72, its largest margin of defeat in an ACC game since the team lost to Louisville by 30 points in the 2018-2019 season. A few days later against the Tar Heels, the Wolfpack was able to keep up with its rivals for a majority of the game, but UNC scored 25 points to the Pack’s 15 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory, 56-47.

Read more about the Pack's blowout win over Virginia.

Read more about the Wolfpack's game at FSU.

Read more about NC State's loss to UNC.

Gymnastics opens the season with a rocky start

NC State gymnastics suffered two losses this week in its first two meets of the season. On Monday, Jan. 9, the Pack fell to the UNC Tar Heels, 196.325-195.525. Despite the loss, the Pack set a new record for its first meet score, shattering the previous program record of 195.150 that was set in 2011. 

Against the nationally-ranked Michigan State Spartans, the Wolfpack broke another record, scoring 196.375 in its home opener to surpass the program’s previous home-opener record. These losses should not discourage NC State fans, however, as they came at the hands of tough opponents. 

Read more about NC State's season opener at UNC.

Read more about the Wolfpack's loss to the Spartans.

 

Wrestling extends winning streak

In the team’s last non-conference match of the season, NC State wrestling defeated the Army Black Knights, 30-6 to extend its winning streak to 10-0. The No. 5 Pack won four major decisions, a tech fall and eight total bout wins throughout the match. 

Redshirt sophomore Owen Trephan put on one of the most notable performances of the night, defeating his opponent 22-7. Sophomore Isaac Trumble also put on a show, preventing his opponent from winning even a single point and ultimately winning 7-0. 

The undefeated Wolfpack will face off against ACC opponents for the first time this season this coming weekend.

Read more about the Pack's win over the Black Knights.

Swim and dive continues dominant season

Despite the absence of a couple key Wolfpack athletes who instead traveled to compete in the 2023 Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, both the men’s and women’s NC State swim and dive teams crushed the Duke Blue Devils this past weekend. The No. 5 men’s team won by over 100 points, 199-96, while the No. 4 women’s squad defeated the No. 22 Blue Devils 168-130. 

On the men’s side, juniors Will Gallant and Owen Lloyd and freshman Lance Norris swept the 1000 yard freestyle. In the 400-meter individual medley, freshman Kule Ponsler, junior Conall Monahan and Lloyd also swept the competition. 

On the women’s side, freshman Kennedy Noble led the way in the Pack’s sweep of the 100 yard backstroke. In addition, the top four finishers competing in the 100 yard freestyle were from NC State. 

Read more about the Pack's inter-conference wins over Duke.

Men’s basketball picks up another win over ranked opponent

NC State men’s basketball defeated the No. 16 Miami Hurricanes at home on Saturday, Jan. 14. Sophomore forward Ernest Ross played a key role in the overtime win, recording a career high in both points and rebound. Ross’ efforts in the final minutes of regulation and into the extra session were crucial to the Wolfpack’s victory.

Just as Ross played a critical role in closing out the game, sophomore guard Terquavion Smith had an important part in jumpstarting the Pack’s offensive momentum at the start of the game. Smith finished the game with 20 points, including 13 in the first half. 

Read more about the Pack's victory over the Hurricanes.

Men’s tennis wins season opener

NC State men’s tennis collected its first wins of the season at home in a doubleheader against UNC-Greensboro Spartans. The Pack won the first match 7-0 and the second 4-0, thanks to an all around dominant performance in both singles and doubles play.

Most notably, redshirt sophomore Braden Shick demonstrated his impressive ability to perform well under pressure, claiming a victory in the closest match of the day. Shick beat his opponent in two close sets to ensure that the Wolfpack remained perfect in terms of set wins. 

Read more about NC State's season opener against UNCG.

 

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