North Carolina State University Athletics
Macchiavello, Payne, Villar Named January Heart of the Pack Winners
2/5/2026 11:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics, Men's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Wrestling
The Pack Performance group noted the following about this month's recipients:
Andrew had his best semester academically in the Fall and made the Dean's list. This achievement represents steady and consistent improvement. He has done a good job utilizing his resources and has embraced all aspects of his experience, having worked with the academic staff to secure an internship with Raleigh PD this summer. Andrew has grown tremendously during his time at NC State and has transitioned from an uncertain freshman living in the shadow of his brother's national championship career, and has emerged as a confident and mindful leader within his team.
Aidan is a great candidate for the Heart of the Pack. He is dependable and respected by his teammates. He has great character and integrity and is an excellent student. Not only has he played a significant role within the soccer program, he graduated in December with a 4.0 GPA and recently started a Master's in Accounting program this spring. In addition to all those qualities, he's highly motivated, works extremely hard, and represents the Pack well on and off the pitch.
Elaisa has really embraced her role as a leader and difference maker. As a player, she has a strong presence, is vocal, encouraging, and dependable. Her impeccable work ethic makes her a positive force in all aspects of the program - in the weight room, in the classroom, on the court. Her voice and impact within the volleyball program speaks volumes. As a teammate, her positive attitude and perspective is contagious and elevates others.
About the Heart of the Pack Award
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.
