North Carolina State University Athletics
Aguirre, Poole and Smith Named September Heart of the Pack Winners
10/8/2026 10:30:00 AM | Football, Pack Athletics, Women's Soccer, Track
The Pack Performance group noted the following about this month's recipients:
"Popo leads with confidence, sets the standard, and continues to raise the bar through the way he serves others. He wears the captain title with pride and understands that leadership is about more than a title; it's about how you show up, be mindful of your teammates, and represent the Wolfpack every day."
"Nia exemplifies the Heart of the Pack through the warmth and positivity of her attitude and the genuine care she brings to every interaction. She has a natural ability to connect with others, making those around her feel valued. Her willingness to serve, lead, and support others makes her an outstanding teammate and a deserving representative of the Heart of the Pack."
About the Heart of the Pack Award"Mackenzie adds value in many ways. She's been a dependable and mindful teammate, always making herself available to others. Although faced with the same time constraints as other student-athletes, she finds time to serve many in her leadership role in SAAC. And she does it with a positive mindset, attitude, and with all her heart. We are fortunate to have her with the Pack."
The Heart of the Pack award recognizes those student-athletes who consistently demonstrate the TEAM criteria:
Teammate: exhibiting selfless sacrifice that benefits the team
Effort: showing up daily with determination and grit
Attitude: demonstrating a consistently positive attitude
Mindful: being insightful and open-minded
Student-athletes in every sport will be evaluated and nominated on a monthly basis. The voting will be made by Pack Performance, an interdisciplinary team that work collaboratively in the commitment toward the holistic development of student-athletes.
The team consists of professionals from strength and conditioning, academics, sports medicine, mental health and performance psychology, sports nutrition and student-athlete engagement and leadership.
The award is sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America. Modern Woodmen, a fraternal financial services organization offering life insurance protection for more than 140 years, was founded in 1883 to clear financial burdens – not trees. As a fraternal financial services organization, Modern Woodmen's products and programs support financial security, quality family life and community impact – the common bonds that unite our members nationwide.
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