The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/896287
NOVEMBER 2017 ■ 119 197-pound fifth-year senior Michael Mac- chiavello and 125-pound redshirt junior Sean Fausz — are back. Popolizio feels both can do more than just sneak their way onto that podium for the first time. Macchiavello is moving up from 184 pounds to 197, a move the coach thinks fits his style perfectly — and could make him even more dangerous than he was during last year's 26-8 breakout campaign. "He's got every tool you need mentally and physically to do something special this year," Popolizio noted. Fausz, meanwhile, has reached the ACC finals and won at least one match at the NCAA Championships each of the last two years. His résumé already features wins over All-Americans, and he continues to improve. "He's good enough to compete with any- body in the country. … He lost to the guy that won it and a guy that was an All-Amer- ican last year [at the NCAA Champion- ships]," Popolizio explained. "I think with what he did this summer, he's put himself in the driver's seat to have a lot of success and to make gains overs guys that maybe he couldn't beat last year." A few other weight classes still need clarity in terms of who will emerge as the starter, including at 149, 165, 174 and 285 pounds. Two of those spots return national qualifiers (although some were at different weights when doing so), but a couple may redshirt and open the door for newcomers to step into the lineup. Redshirt freshmen Tariq Wilson and Hayden Hidlay are likely to start at 133 and 157 pounds, respectively. Both are expected HALE PLUMBING INC. Commercial & Residential Plumbing James K. Hale (Kenny), President 910 Park Ave. Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 252 537 9871 | JKHale252@gmail.com NC & VA Licensed ■ By The Numbers 9 Of the 10 projected starters earned at least one national preseason top-25 ranking. Four — 125-pound redshirt junior Sean Fausz (listed between No. 8-10), senior 141-pounder Kevin Jack (unanimous No. 2), 184-pound fifth-year senior Pete Renda (unani - mous No. 3) and 197-pound fifth-year senior Michael Macchiavello (listed between No. 8-10) — are unani- mous top-10 choices. 10 Is the number of NCAA qualifiers the Pack boasted last season, a school record that made it one of just two programs to qualify every starter in 2017. Eight return, plus they add Renda and possibly senior heavyweight Michael Boykin, who previously won an NCAA match at 197 pounds, back into the lineup this season. 36-3 Is the Pack's dual-meet record over the last two years. It marks the fewest losses in a two-year span since going a combined 28-2 from 1981-82, the only stretch in school history that has been better. Besides two seasons ago (23-1), last year's 13-2 mark (.867 winning percentage) was the best winning percentage since 1982 (13-1, .929) — a period that includes the program's all-time best NCAA finish of sev - enth (interestingly, they went 12-8 in 1993).