The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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66 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "What we need in 2019 is to run well as a group, but then penetrate better up front," Geiger said. "They need to score more points, but still have the team aspect to it." Shanklin led the way at the NCAA Championships, finishing 54th in 30 min- utes and 10.9 seconds. He followed up with a strong track season last spring. "Ian is the ACC champion in the [indoor] 5,000 meters, and anytime you are an ACC champion with 15 institutions, everybody has somebody good," Geiger said. "He is much better than 54th. I don't think that was a particularly good day for Ian." Geiger wants Shanklin to strive to finish in the top 10 in the country this fall. "That is where we need him to be," Gei- ger said. "The difference between being 50 something and the top 10, is not great [time-wise]. Every second is one or two athletes." Barrett could be the X-factor if he re- gains some of his 2017 form. He earned All-ACC honors in both 2016 and 2017. "Ben is quite capable of doing the same thing in 2019, and that would make a dif- ference," Geiger said. Fifth-year senior Tanis Baldwin and red- shirt junior Tim Bason also return, giving the Wolfpack 11 runners that are either in their junior or senior year of eligibility. The five returning runners from the post- season could be bolstered by three transfers — John "JP" Flavin (Dayton), Will Ander- son (Bradley) and Hannes Burger (Louisi- ana-Lafayette). Flavin and Anderson are both seniors, and Burger is a sophomore. Flavin finished seventh in the 5,000 me- ters (14:08.4) for NC State at the ACC Championships last spring, finishing two spots behind Shanklin. "JP can run with anyone in our pro- gram," Geiger said. "The young man is totally committed and wants to be great. He'll be a big help. I think he is a differ- ence maker for us." Anderson reached the NCAA Cham- pionships last year and finished 158th in 31:07.7, which was the 10th-best 10K time in Bradley history, while Burger was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year at the con- ference's indoor and outdoor meets. Add in redshirt freshman Nate Kawalec of Chardon, Ohio, and sophomore Ares Epps of Cary, N.C., and the depth should be strong for the Wolfpack. Kawalec showed off exciting potential in track and field last spring in the 5,000-meter run, and Epps has become a special project for Geiger due to his background in the 800 and mile. "We've only had two athletes run 14- plus [minutes in the 5,000] as a freshman — [former All-Americans] Andrew Colley and Ryan Hill — so he's in good com- pany," Geiger said of Kawalec. ■ Top Newcomer Dayton graduate transfer John Flavin, a senior who goes by JP, is expected to crack the top half of NC State's lineup. The Toms River, N.J., native earned All-Atlantic 10 honors after finishing fifth at the A-10 Championships, and he was fourth in the same event in 2017. Flavin set a personal record of 31:46.7 in his last meet for the Flyers at the NCAA Great Lakes Re - gional. He was third on the team and 29th overall, and his time ranked 13th all time in Dayton history. Runners To Watch Redshirt junior Joe Bistritz The Chagrin Falls (Ohio) High product was part of four NCSU runners who often ran in a "pack" for NC State. Bistritz was NC State's second run- ner at the NCAA Championships, coming in 88th (30:32.9). He also finished 12th at the NCAA South- east Regional in Rock Hill, S.C. Bistritz participated in indoor track and field last year, but redshirted during the outdoor season. Redshirt junior Gavin Gaynor The steady Gaynor, who is from Hudson, Ohio, earned All-ACC honors last year in cross country. He was 18th at the conference championships, 24th at the NCAA Southeast Regional and culminated his season by placing 89th (30:33.0) at the NCAA Championships, one spot behind Bistritz. Junior Ian Shanklin The talented Shanklin paced the Wolfpack in five of the meets that he ran in last year. The for - mer Greensboro (N.C.) Page standout finished 54th at the NCAA Championships with a 30:10.9, and then continued his momentum by winning the 5,000-meter run at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Shanklin set an 8K personal re- cord (23:54.1) to place seventh at the 2018 ACC Championships to earn all-conference honors in cross country. ■ By The Numbers 2 NC State men's cross country runners who earned All-ACC academic honors last year — then redshirt sophomore Gavin Gaynor and senior Elijah Moskowitz. The duo also earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association all-academic honors. 9 NCAA Southeast Regional titles won by NC State since 2000. The Wolfpack earned a much-needed automatic qualifier spot to the NCAA Championships with the win last year. 21 National top-10 finishes for NC State under head coach Rollie Geiger since he took over in 1981. The Wolfpack tied for 10th last year, but techni- cally finished 11th due to a tiebreaker. Noting The Pack • Notre Dame pulled off somewhat of a sur- prising win at the ACC Championships a year ago, and NC State head coach Rollie Geiger expects the Fighting Irish to be in the mix again this year. NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia could be considered the preseason favorites. "Notre Dame's recruiting classes have been in - credible and they beat Syracuse, and I think ev- eryone was surprised with that," Geiger said. "We w ere third. I can tell you that at the NCAAs, we beat both those guys. "It took us a little bit of time for the ship to go in the right direction, but it started with region - als. In the ACC, it's hard to find a program that is not good." Geiger said a group of the runners have been training in Colorado with its altitude this summer. He hopes that prepares NC State to get off to a stronger start this fall. • NC State was in danger of not reaching the NCAA Championships last year due to not having enough criteria points. Essentially, colleges need to be in the best meets possible and then do well, and hope the other schools they competed against also reach the NCAA Championships. That is why the Nuttycombe Invitational and Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational are crucial in Oc - tober. It's also a system that Geiger would love to alter. Smaller schools that don't get to compete in the bigger regular-season meets simply get pun - ished year after year. It gives meet directors a lot of influence. "I've been on the committee to try and get it to change for several years," Geiger said. "I think there is a better way to qualify for nationals. I think this is how some teams who are good get left out." Joe Bistritz placed 12th at the NCAA South- east Regional and 88th at the NCAA Cham- pionships as a redshirt sophomore last fall. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS