The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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NOVEMBER 2018 ■ 109 on the team. Will and Tyler are the grinders in practice. "They put in the work, and that has been awesome for us. They both bring a positive attitude." H o l s o p p l e ex p e c t s i m p r ove m e n t throughout the season from her veterans, which will lead to consistency. "We really have a great group here with the potential to do something great," Holsopple said. "It can do something ab- solutely fantastic, bigger than anything NC State has ever seen before." Learning the intricacies of her roster is part of the process for any new coach. The first competition took place with a win over The Citadel Oct. 6. "I've been watching them in practice, and meeting and talking with them one- on-one," Holsopple said. "I'm really trying to get to know the individuals and their personalities. "It is intense doing rifle, but in a differ- ent way. It's not a team sport, but more an individual sport that competes together to make the team. You really have to know your players and shooters one-on-one and know what they are like." One of Holsopple's first observations is the improvement from Spina. "She has been growing during her col- lege career," Holsopple said. "She had an outstanding performance in our first match of the year." Holsopple doesn't know the previous Wolfpack team traditions in rifle, so she's starting her own way of doing things. Stay- ing true to the process has been one of the big themes going into the season. "We are competing against ourselves, trying to get better every day and also put- ting the Pack first," Holsopple said. "It has been a team-first environment, and we are doing team meals and doing things as a group. "They are starting to come together as one." ■ ■ Key Matches • At Kentucky, Nov. 9: The match would have been a big one just because new head coach Emily Holsopple was a superstar for the Wildcats from 2010-14. On top of that, UK topped West Virginia by nine points to win the 2018 national championship. Holsopple had previously led Kentucky to its first national title in 2011. • At West Virginia, Nov. 17: The Mountaineers were five-time defending champs before falling to Kentucky last year. This year's NCAA Championships will also take place in Morgantown, W.Va. • GARC Championships at Akron, Ohio, Feb. 23‑24: NC State finished sixth in the GARC last year, with West Virginia, Kentucky and Navy claiming the top three spots. The Wolfpack finished with 4,646 points, which trailed WVU by 53. Noting The Pack • West Virginia, TCU, Murray State and Kentucky should have formidable rifle squads nationally. NC State will compete Nov. 9-10 at Kentucky, along with Army, and will travel to West Virginia Nov. 17. The GARC Championships take place Feb. 23-24 in Akron, Ohio. "Kentucky and WVU have been posting a lot of 4,700s," said head coach Emily Holsopple, whose team compiled a 4,658 against The Citadel. "Those are our two big matches in the fall. I don't think we have an easy match all fall." • The Wolfpack added freshmen Emily Fisher and Aron Tinter to the veteran-laden squad. Tinter is starting to make improvements and has fit in really well with his new teammates. Fisher was sold on NC State prior to Holsopple's arrival. "I talked to her, and I really liked what she had to say, " Holsopple said. "I made her an offer, and she was on board. She absolutely loved NC State and everything about it, so it was a simple sell." • Returning juniors Zach Eisenberg, Kendra Ja - cobs and Claire Zanti, and senior Claire Spina were among six Wolfpack athletes who earned Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Scholastic All-America honors last year for having a 3.2 grade-point aver- age or better. Newcomer To Watch Freshman Emily Fisher is the third NC State member to have attended the Robinson School in Virginia, joining junior Zach Eisenberg and senior Claire Spina. Fisher scored 563 in her first match in the smallbore, which was fifth on the team, at The Citadel. She also added 586 in the air rifle, which was third for the Wolfpack. ■ By The Numbers 4 Top-three national finishes that NC State head coach Emily Holsopple led Kentucky to as a stu- dent-athlete from 2010-14. UK won the 2011 national title and finished in the top three in her other three years with the Wildcats. 596 Points scored by junior Kendra Jacobs in the air rifle, which she did twice last year, was the highest air rifle score by the Wolfpack last year. She also had the top smallbore performance with 589. 4,658 Points scored for NC State in Holsop- ple's first match at The Citadel Oct. 6. The Wolfpack had 4,630 points against West Virginia in the 2017 season opener last year in Charleston, S.C. Three Athletes To Watch Junior Zach Eisenberg He has appeared in all 28 matches his first two years at NC State. Eisenberg averaged 583.643 in air rifle, 569.5 in smallbore and 1,153.143 in total aggregate. The Burke, Va., native had a career-high 589 in air rifle and 576 in smallbore against Akron last year. Junior Kendra Jacobs The Trent, S.D., native enjoyed a quality first year at NC State, earning honorable mention All-GARC in the smallbore. The Air Force transfer appeared in all 14 matches last year, and she averaged 586.5 in the air ri - fle, 576 in smallbore and 1,162.5 in the aggregate total. She had a career-high 596 in air rifle against Ne- braska and 589 in smallbore against Army and Coast Guard last year. Senior Claire Spina She has appeared in 24 matches for the Wolfpack her first three years. She averaged 580.22 in the air rifle, 566.571 in smallbore and 1,146.793 in total aggregate last year. She had a career-high 577 in smallbore at the NCAA Qualifier/NRA Sectional at West Virginia last year. Junior Kendra Jacobs, a transfer from Air Force, earned honorable mention All-Great America Rifle Conference last year, after averaging 1,162.5 in total aggregate. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS