The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1364233
12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK K atelyn Tuohy defined excellence at the high school level, and she's now applying her competitive spirit on the cross country course, track and in the classroom at NC State. Tuohy, a freshman from Stony Brook, N.Y., set national high school records in the mile, the indoor 3000 meters, the outdoor 3,200 meters and the indoor 5,000 meters, setting a new U.S. Ju- nior mark. She was a three-time Gatorade Athlete of the Year for cross country, becoming the first athlete in any sport to win that national honor a trio of times. Now she's a member of the nationally elite Wolfpack cross country and track and field teams while majoring in engineering at NC State. "The transition from high school to college can be really dif- ficult if you don't have the proper support, especially during these uncertain times," Tuohy said. "I'm very fortunate to have such sup- portive teammates. Our upperclassmen and the leaders on our team do a really good job checking in on everybody on the team, and I feel like it made the transition pretty easy for me. "Online school isn't ideal, but I'm very fortunate to have such great teammates to help my transition from high school to college." Still recovering from an injury she suffered prior to her first sea- son at the college level, Tuohy was sidelined for her first semester in Raleigh but has bounced back with strong postseason showings in 2021. She was a member on NC State's distance medley relay, which placed seventh at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champion- ships, and finished ninth individually in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:20:57 at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. She followed it up by placing 24th individually with a 6K time of 20:41:30 at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships. It was the best finish by a rookie at the meet. "The first semester was a little tough because I really wanted to be out there with the team competing, but I was held back because of my injury," Tuohy said. "I'm just very grateful to have our ath- letic trainers. They've helped me through the rehab process, and I've been training full-time with my group. I think things are start- ing to head towards the right direction and starting to click." Equally competitive with her studies, Tuohy was one of six on the women's cross country team to earn All-ACC Academic honors this season. She was also one of eight on the women's indoor track and field team to earn All-ACC Academic honors in 2021 and was an Advanced Placement student in high school, garnering enough credits to be considered an academic sophomore in her second se- mester of college. "When I'm committed to running, my academics follow," Tuohy said. "I noticed that first when I was injured and I wasn't really running, it was kind of hard for me to sit down and do my work because I wasn't running. I was just thinking about getting back to running full time. "When I am in the full swing of training, it definitely makes school a lot easier because the mentality I have in practice and dur- ing races carries over to my studies." — Justin H. Williams STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK AND FIELD FRESHMAN KATELYN TUOHY Tuohy earned All-America accolades at the NCAA Cross Country Champi- onships, where her 24th- place finish was the top showing by a freshman at the meet. PHOTO BY JACOB SEEBER/ COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS