Athletics Honors Top Performers

The 2014 Wolfies – the athletics department’s red-carpet celebration of its achievements in the last calendar year – honored women’s basketball player Kody Burke and baseball pitcher Carlos Rodon as H.C. Kennett Award winners as the school’s top female and male athletes on Monday night.

Burke, a recent pick in the WNBA draft who helped the Wolfpack women on a remarkable season under first-year coach Wes Moore, received two other honors: the Kay Yow Award and the ACC Female Scholar-Athlete Award. She is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Rodon was honored for his sophomore season in 2013, in which he helped coach Elliott Avent’s squad reach the College World Series for the first time in 45 years and was named the National Player of the Year.

Moore was named the department’s coach of the year, while NCAA wrestling champion Nick Gwiazdowki and ACC Pitcher of the Year Emily Wieman earned the top performances by a male and female athlete.

2013-14 Wolfie Award Winners

Female Rookie of the Year – Jackie Stengel (women’s soccer)
One of only three freshmen to be named All-ACC in the country’s most dominant conference, Stengel had a remarkable freshman season for the Wolfpack, leading the team in goals, points, shots, and shots on goal (23). Stengel earned recognition on the All-ACC Third Team and the ACC all-freshman team. She was also selected for the U20 U.S. national team in preparation for the 2014 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

Male Rookie of the Year – Andreas Schierllerup (swimming and diving)
Andreas Schiellerup is the school record holder in the 100 backstroke, 200 and 400 medley relays, and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. He was a finalist at the ACC Championships in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. In addition, Schiellerup was a member of the 100 freestyle ACC championship team, the 200 medley relay, 200 and 400 freestyle relay and on the team that set a ACC Record in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 medley relay.

Comeback Player of the Year – Emily Pritt (women’s cross country)
After earning All-ACC and All-America honors during her sophomore year, fifth-year senior Pritt developed a hip injury that kept her away from cross country for three years. After a grueling rehab process, Pritt returned to compete for the team this season, racing for the first time in a cross country capacity since 2009. She also competed in the ACC Championships on Nov. 1 and ended up with the second best result on the Wolfpack women’s team at that race. Pritt went on to earn all-region honors for the Wolfpack at NCAA Southeast Region Championship, helping the NC State women earn a third-place finish at the event.

Community Spirit Award – Gymnastics
In addition to excelling in the classroom and the gym, and holding a strong fan base, coach Mark Stevenson’s team spends great deal of its spare time reaching out to the community and volunteering its time. The team also wore pink at four meets this season to increase breast cancer awareness. The team’s community service activities include volunteering at Bright Horizons Daycare, ARC Food Bank, Interact Shelter for Women, Spare Some for Autism and Ronald McDonald House and delivering food and money to families for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Female Performance of the Year – Emily Weiman (softball)
Emily Weiman retired the final 13 batters in the ACC championship game against homestanding Florida State to seal the Wolfpack’s 1-0 victory in Tallahassee, Fla. Weiman pitched a complete game in the process, going all seven innings and allowing just four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Male Performance of the Year – Nick Gwiazdowski (wrestling)
Nick Gwiazdowski won the NCAA title at 285 pounds by defeating two-time defending champion Tony Nelson of Minnesota in the finals.

ACC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year – Jorge Risquez (men’s soccer)
Jorge has a 3.702 GPA in Business Administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in accounting. He has been a member of the ACC honor roll for three years, recognized as a Caterpillar scholar-athlete for three years and named to the Dean’s list for five semesters.

Coach of the Year – Wes Moore (women’s basketball)
In his first season at the helm of the NC State women’s basketball program (2013-14), Wes Moore and his staff led the Wolfpack to the following accomplishments: a 25-8 record, a top-25 RPI, a fourth-place finish in the ACC despite preseason prediction of 10th, 11 straight weeks in the AP and USA Today polls, the program’s first AP top-10 ranking since 2001, four wins over AP top-20 teams, a 13-2 nonconference record and a 14-2 record at home.

Wolfpack Unlimited Individual Award – T.J. Warren (men’s basketball)
T.J. Warren had a historic sophomore season in 2013-14, earning All-American honors and being named NC State’s first ACC Player of the Year award since 1991. Warren broke school scoring records held by David Thompson. He led the ACC in scoring and field goal percentage, becoming just the third player in league history to do so in the same season. He also broke Rodney Monroe’s single-season record of games with 20+ points.

Wolfpack Unlimited Team Award – Women’s basketball
The NC State women’s basketball team finished the 2013-14 sea¬son with a 25-8 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in school history. The Wolfpack finished fourth in the conference standings despite a preseason prediction of 10th and advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. In addition, the Pack defeated four AP top-20 teams and finished with a 14-2 mark at home.

Men’s Team of the Year – Baseball
The baseball program set a school record for wins (50) in 2013 and advanced to the College World Series for the first time in 45 years. The squad posted 30 victories throughout the season at Doak Field at Dail Park, including each of its five postseason home contests. State was led by All-Americans Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner, as well as 2013 ABCA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year Elliot Avent.

Women’s Team of the Year – Softball
In 2013, the NC State softball team accomplished what many would have considered to be a far-fetched goal at the beginning of the season winning the ACC championship. Under first-year head coach Shawn Rychcik, the squad flourished in nearly every offensive category. The Wolfpack set school records in runs scored, runs batted in and slugging percentage. The squad entered the ACC championship on a nine-game winning streak and continued it with three wins in the tournament, highlighted by an upset win over top-seeded Florida State on its home field. It was the program’s second ACC title overall and first since the 2006 season. Rychcik became the first head coach in the history of the ACC to win the championship title in his/her first season. With the ACC championship win, the Pack automatically clinched a berth in the 2013 NCAA Championships, making its first appearance there since 2007. State finished the year with a 35-20-1 record.