Top 10 moments from NC State athletics in 2017-18: 1-5
Earlier Monday The Wolfpacker released numbers 6-10 in its top 10 moments of the past year in NC State athletics. Now it's time to reveal the five that stood out the most in a season full of memories.
No. 5: Football wins in primetime under the lights
The 24th-ranked Wolfpack welcomed No. 17 Louisville, featuring the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at quarterback, for a Thursday night game televised by ESPN. In front of 56,107 fans, NC State never trailed before prevailing 39-25.
Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley threw for 367 yards and a touchdown, and junior running back Nyheim Hines went for 102 yards and two scores, but the game was punctuated by redshirt junior linebacker Germaine Pratt’s pick six with 2:52 left to put the game out of reach.
No. 4: Men’s hoops shocks No. 2 Duke
Uninspiring might be the best way to describe NC State’s 0-2 start in the ACC. It lost by 16 at Clemson and by 30 at a shorthanded Notre Dame squad, and with No. 2 Duke and its cache of NBA Draft picks coming to town the expectations among the Wolfpack faithful were low. By the end of the evening, many of the 19,500 fans in attendance at PNC Arena were rushing the floor after the Pack prevailed 96-85. The Pack never trailed in the second half.
Six different Wolfpack players scored in double figures, led by sophomore center Omer Yurtseven’s 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks versus Duke’s loaded frontcourt. Redshirt junior forward Torin Dorn added 16, including a crucial four-point play with 1:04 left to put NCSU up 91-80.
No. 3: A gold night for men’s swimming
The table was set on night three of the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving national championships when sophomore Coleman Stewart won the national title in the 100-backstroke. A day later was one full of celebration for NC State.
It started with senior Anton Ipsen dominating the 1,650 free in ACC record time. Not long after, junior Andreas Vazaios took home the crown in the 200 butterfly. To cap the championships, NC State’s 4x100 free relay broke the American record in winning with ease. On the opening day of the meet, the 4x200 free relay had also crushed the competition for a title.
All total, NC State men’s swimmers accounted for five national titles and accumulated the second most swimming points behind on Cal. When diving points were added, the Pack finished fourth overall for the third consecutive year.
No. 2: Storybook ending for wrestler Michael Macchiavello
When he was a freshman, Macchiavello went 11-14 and not many would have projected him to be an eventual All-American much less a national title winner.
Yet in his final year, Macchiavello had emerged as one of the premier 197-pounders in the country. He was the fourth seed entering the NCAA Championships and was dominant in his run to the title showdown, capturing two major decisions and notching a pin among his four victories. The last man standing in the way was Virginia Tech’s No. 3-seed Jared Haught, who had accounted for two of Macchiavello’s three losses during the season.
Macchiavello though got the sweetest of revenges when he took Haught down with nine seconds left to take a 3-1 decision for an emotional win and the national championship. He helped NC State finish a school-best fourth place in the team standings.
No. 1: Winning in the Dean Dome
In the forgettable 2016-17 men's basketball season, NC State lost by a staggering 51 points at UNC. When the 10th-ranked Heels jumped to a quick 8-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game this season, many Wolfpack fans were probably prepared for doom.
Yet Kevin Keatts’ squad rallied and traded blows throughout an action-filled afternoon game in Chapel Hill. NC State went on a 7-2 run late in the game to take an 83-81 lead into the final seconds, but UNC’s Cameron Johnson made two free throws with four seconds left to force overtime.
Sophomore point guard Markell Johnson’s three-pointer with 4:13 left put the Pack up for good at 88-85 in what would be a 95-91 win.
Fifth-year senior guard Allerik Freeman will be most remembered from this game after making all seven of his three-point attempts en route to 29 points. Johnson added a double-double of 20 points and 11 assists while Dorn also contributed 20 points.
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