The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476803
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ■ 37 3,000-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter races over the past two years, though she sat out the 2022 outdoor season with an in- jury. Chmiel could potentially come back for the 2023-24 season but hasn't yet decided whether she wants to use her bonus year of eligibility. She's already earned her bachelor's degree in veteri- nary science and is working on her mas- ter's. A two-time first-team Academic All-American with a 4.0 GPA, she's planning on attending veterinary school. "It's pretty cliché, but I'm just one of those kids who knew right away, ever since I was like 3 years old, that I wanted to be a vet," she said. In the meantime, Chmiel will be fo- cused on helping NC State defend its ACC and NCAA crowns. The Wolfpack also return junior Katelyn Tuohy and senior Sam Bush, who finished 15th and 32nd, respectively, at NCAAs last year, but they lost Allie Hayes (22nd) and Hannah Steelman (24th). The Wolfpack's new season begins Sept. 16 when it hosts the Adidas XC Challenge in Cary, N.C. Chmiel has high hopes, but she's well aware that it's go- ing to be a battle. Indeed, the sport's recent history provides ample evidence of just how difficult it will be to repeat. The most recent team to win back- to-back women's cross country titles is Villanova, which finished first in 2009 and 2010. In the 11 years since, there have been 10 different champions; Or- egon is the only team to have won two titles in that span, and the Ducks' victo- ries weren't consecutive. Those are the headwinds that Chmiel and her team- mates are up against. "We're going to do everything we can to contend for the title again," she said, "but I definitely don't think it's going to be easy or that we're going to be the favorites necessarily. "We lost two scorers, and it's really hard to stay up there consistently. The goal is to go for the title again, but we're going to need to work really hard and work together. It's going to be a long road to the title." ■ Chmiel finished first at the ACC and NCAA Southeast Regional meets last year, then led the Wolfpack to its first NCAA title with a sixth-place performance at the championship meet. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS