State Honors Top 2019-20 Athletes With 'Virtual Wolfies'
The 2019-20 athletic schedule was cut short by the coronavirus crisis that forced the cancellation of the NCAA basketball and wrestling tournaments, as well as most of the spring season.
But despite those disappointments, there were still plenty of memorable moments and achievements to celebrate.
As the academic year officially comes to a close, SI All Wolfpack will take a look back at the NC State's 10 best athletic performances of 2019-20.
But before the countdown begins on Saturday, here is the rundown of the athletes and teams the Wolfpack has chosen as its "best of the best," as announced earlier this week during the school's annual "Wolfies" awards ceremony -- which was held virtually, of course:
◼ H.C. Kennett Award: State's highest athletic honor, the Kennett Award is given annually to "superior athletes who demonstrate the finest attributes of all-around leadership, good sportsmanship and good character."
This year's winners are swimmer Coleman Stewart and cross-country runner Elly Henes.
Coleman is was the ACC's Men's Swimmer of the Year for the second straight season after winning both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events for the third straight year. He is only the 11th men's swimmer in conference history to win the same event in three consecutive years. His time in the 100 backstroke was the fastest in the nation this season.
Henes was named ACC Cross Country Performer and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019 after winning the individual titles at the ACC Championship and the NCAA Southeast Regional. She earned All-America honors for the third season in a row. Only a junior, she still has one year of track eligibility remaining in 2020-21.
◼ Kay Yow Award: Presented by the Wolfpack Club to a female student-athlete who exemplifies outstanding academic achievement, athletic achievement, community service and a true spirit of teamwork.
This year's recipient is women's soccer star Tziarra King, who in addition to becoming the first player in program history selected in the NWSL draft, spent more than 100 hours doing community service. She also achieved several program firsts, including becoming the team's first-ever ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient.
◼ Rookie of the Year: Jakob Camacho, wrestling (men); Jakia Brown-Turner, basketball (women).
Camacho won the 2020 ACC title at 125 pounds, defeating a returning NCAA finalist 11-4 in the finals. He was named the 2020 ACC Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler and earned NWCA Second Team All-America status after the season.
Brown-Turner was named to the ACC All-Freshman team after starting 31 games and averaging 9.4 points. She ended her rookie campaign ranked in the top 15 among freshmen in school history in four statistical categories.
◼ Comeback Player of the Year:Manny Bates, basketball.
Bates missed both his final high school season and his first year at NC State while recovering from shoulder surgeries. Despite going nearly 1,000 days between games, he was an integral part of the Wolfpack's 20-win team this season, breaking State's single-season freshman record for blocked shots while leading the ACC in that category.
◼ Heart of the Pack Award: A men's and women's winner picked from a group of 21 student-athletes who were honored throughout the 2019-20 year for exemplifying the following criteria: Teammate: effort; attitude and mindfulness.
Vinnie Durand, men's woccer: Kia Rankin, women's soccer.
After an injury to the Pack's starting goalkeeper in the first game of the season, Durand stepped in and started every remaining minute of the season, recording six shutouts and helping the team qualify for the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. He was also instrumental in organizing State's "Set the Expectation" campaign against sexual assault in the fall.
Rankin started every match during her senior season as a defender, a new position for her, helping the Wolfpack reach its third NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the last four years. In the classroom, Kia was named to the 2019 Honor Roll and All-ACC Academic Teams. She also served as vice president of SAAC in 2019-20.
◼ Individual Performance of the Year: Coleman at the ACC Swimming Championships; Henes at the ACC Cross-Country Championship Meet.
◼ Team Performance of the Year: Men's tennis upset of No. 4 Texas; Women's basketball winning State's first ACC tournament title since 1991.
◼ Coach of the Year: Pat Popolizio, wrestling; Wes Moore, women's basketball.
The 2020 ACC Coach of the Year, Popolizio led the Wolfpack to its second straight ACC tournament title and third-straight ACC regular season dual title during a season in which it went undefeated and set a new Reynolds Coliseum attendance record with over 4,000 fans attending the rivalry match against UNC.
A semifinalist for National Coach of the Year, Moore led his squad to a 20-win season for the fifth year in a row, capped off with the victory at the ACC Tournament. The team won 28 games, a program-record 14 conference games and finished ranked No. 8 in the AP poll.
◼ Team of the Year: Wrestling (men); Basketball (women)
◼ Chancellor's Cup: Awarded to a men's and women's team with the highest cumulative GPA in the previous spring and fall semesters.
Men's Swimming and Diving (3.331 Cumulative GPA; Women's Swimming and Diving (3.583 cumulative GPA)
◼ Pride of the Pack Award:
Instituted this year, the award reflects the values of Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. The recipients showed commitment to the four guiding tenets of trust, accountability, passion and empathy. The student-athletes who receive this award not only embody these principles themselves but commit to upholding these core values for their teammates and other student-athletes to follow.
Hayden Hidlay, wrestling (men); Drew Grantham, gymnastics (women).
Hidlay was named both the 2020 ACC Wrestler of the Year and the 2020 ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year after winning his third straight conference title. With a 3.456 GPA, he was honored as an NWCA Academic All-American for the third season in a row. Hayden will earn his undergraduate degree in business administration this spring.
Grantham led her team in All-EAGL honors with four first team accolades on the way to becoming EAGL Senior Gymnast of the Year after posting the Wolfpack's best score on floor nine times. She was named to the All-EAGL Scholastic team all four years and served as SAAC President during the 2019-20 school year. She will earn her undergraduate degree in communications this spring.
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