NC State’s Top 5 moments of 2024

From raising trophies to cutting nets down to a dogpile in the middle of the infield, NC State’s 2024 calendar year was filled with celebrations. The Wolfpack, which earned five ACC championships and made a mad dash to a pair of NCAA basketball semifinal games, created national headlines with consistent success across nearly every sport that took to their respective court or field. 

As the year comes to a close, TheWolfpacker.com ranked the top five moments of 2024 in NC State Athletics. 

5. Men’s soccer makes deepest NCAA Tournament run since 1991

This was one of the more remarkable turnarounds in college athletics this year. NC State men’s soccer went 6-9-3 in 2023, resulting in a coaching change. The result? An immediate program overhaul that delivered results right away. 

NC State hired Marc Hubbard, who had a track record of success at programs that struggled before his arrival. He was able to revamp the roster, bringing in more than a dozen new players, which paid off right away. The Pack didn’t lose its first game until a 2-0 defeat at North Carolina, which was eight games into the season. 

Hubbard’s squad earned a marquee win over then-No. 12 SMU, which was enough to earn an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. From there, the Wolfpack was a tough out. NC State won two games in the quest for a national title for the first time in more than two decades before it lost to eventual runner-up Marshall in the third round. 

Go deeper: How Taig Healy’s mental reset ahead of the postseason has powered NC State men’s soccer

4. Katharine Berkoff wins Olympic bronze medal

After she just missed the Tokyo Olympic games, former NC State swimmer Katharine Berkoff qualified for the Paris event with a second-place finish at the U.S. Trials in the 100-meter backstroke. 

A legacy U.S. Olympian, Berkoff was not only able to make her Olympic debut, but she dazzled in the pool at La Défense Arena. Berkoff cruised through the preliminary rounds to make the final, where the former five-time NCAA Champion finished third in 57.98, earning an individual bronze medal. 

Berkoff also swam the preliminary heat of the 4×100 medley relay, which eventually won gold, a medal she received later in the Olympic games. 

Go deeper: Former NC State swimmer Katharine Berkoff claims bronze medal at Paris Olympics

3. Baseball’s second trip to Omaha in the last four years

It was an unlucky season for NC State when it came to injuries. The Wolfpack lost expected starter Matt Willadsen to an elbow injury on the first day of practice before Josh Hogue broke his leg and star reliever Shane Van Dam also suffered an elbow injury during the season. That set the Pack behind, but Elliott Avent’s squad was still able to power through. 

NC State hosted the Raleigh Regional, which it won with an unblemished record, before it traveled to the Athens Super Regional, hosted by Georgia. There, the Wolfpack faced its stiffest test with Golden Spikes Award winner Charlie Condon anchoring third for the Bulldogs. The two teams split the opening games, forcing a winner-take-all third game with a trip to Omaha on the line. 

And the Pack had enough in the tank with an 8-5 victory in the deciding game, which featured standout bullpen relief from Jacob Dudan and Derrick Smith, while NC State’s bats clubbed 4 homers to win the game. NC State advanced to make its second trip to the Men’s College World Series in the last four seasons, a monumental achievement for the Wolfpack program that did it with fewer resources than its nationally-ranked peers. 

Go deeper: NC State powers to College World Series despite adversity-filled season 

2. Women’s basketball’s first Final Four appearance since 1998

After NC State asserted itself early in the season with a 9-point win over then-No. 2 UConn, the Wolfpack played as one of the best teams in the country the rest of the year. That resulted in an ACC Championship appearance and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Wolfpack worked its way past No. 2-seeded Stanford and No. 1-seeded Texas with a pair of 10-point wins in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight to reach the program’s second Final Four in its history. 

The Pack, led by longtime coach Wes Moore, proved it belonged at the top of the mountaintop with its trip to Cleveland. 

Go deeper: NC State women’s basketball reflects on bonds built during Final Four run

1. Men’s basketball’s magical postseason run

Heading into the ACC Tournament, it seemed like nothing was working for NC State. The Wolfpack lost four straight games to close the regular season, relegating the team to the dreaded first day of the event. NC State opened with Louisville, the worst team in the league, and fell behind early before it eventually won the game. 

From then on, the Pack had momentum. NC State downed Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina in consecutive days to claim the ACC Tournament title. The Wolfpack became the first ACC team to win five games in as many days in the league’s tournament history, which locked the team into the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season. 

And NC State’s postseason magic only continued from there. The Wolfpack beat Texas Tech in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before it ended Oakland’s Cinderella story in the second round. The Sweet Sixteen came and went with a 9-point win over No. 2-seeded Marquette before the Blue Devils reappeared on the schedule. The Pack didn’t take long to dismantle Duke, winning 76-64 in Dallas to punch its ticket to the Final Four for the first time since the magical 1983 season. 

NC State’s nine straight wins to reach the Final Four were only matched by the 2011 UConn team. 

Go deeper: Inside NC State’s rise from 10th-place in ACC to Final Four appearance