The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER The NC State Women's Cross Country Program Is In It For The Long Run Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER N C State women's cross country coach Laurie Henes capped off her team's second consecutive NCAA championship the way we have all celebrated milestones and accomplishments for the past three years: She caught COVID. A few days after the Wolfpack's vic- tory, Henes went to visit her daughter, 2021 NCAA 5K individual champion Elly Henes, in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the younger Henes trains as a professional runner. A short bout with the virus put a dent into the elder Henes' ability to celebrate the back-to-back titles, much the same way basketball coach Jim Valvano had to celebrate his team's 1983 national cham- pionship with the worst case of the flu of his life. The time in isolation, however, also al- lowed Henes the opportunity to appre- ciate what her team did by winning the crown a second time, matching the only consecutive titles in school history. In 1979 and '80, the Wolfpack women's cross country team won back-to-back AIAW titles, when that organization was the governing body for women's colle- giate athletics. Despite the illness, the days and weeks following the second title have been good for Henes and her program, warranting a flattering article in The New York Times that suggests Henes has unlocked the se- cret to success. "In an intense sport that can be rife with toxicity and burnout, Henes has qui- etly — and consistently — built a women's running program that has frequently been ranked in the top 10 of Division I since she started working for NC State in 1992," the Times wrote. An accomplished runner during her competition days — she won the 5,000-meter race as a senior in the NCAA Outdoor Championships — Henes has thrived in the role of head cross country and track coach since 2006, when she was elevated from men's coach Rollie Geiger's assistant to become the Wolfpack's most successful female coach, outshining even the Hall of Fame accomplishments of longtime women's basketball coach Kay Yow. Not only have her teams won back-to- back titles, Henes has been named the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Coach of the Year the past two seasons. Few people fully appreciate just how good the Wolfpack women have been since the team was elevated to varsity status in 1978, winning an ACC-record 28 championships. Success comes as a result of long, early- morning runs in small packs through the streets of West Raleigh and individual workouts at the Paul Derr Track. Training schedules are arduous, and the physical demands are intense. Henes has succeeded because of her pleasant and fun-loving demeanor, a trait she learned long ago as part of Geiger's family-oriented program. "NC State has been a huge part of my life since I first came here as a student- athlete," she said. "I've learned under Coach Geiger, and he has always believed in me as a runner and as a coach. I owe so much to him." A native of Boardman, Ohio, Laurie Go- mez met her husband, Bob Henes, who ran at a rival high school in the Buckeye State, during their days running for Geiger's Wolfpack. Between them, they won a re- markable 14 All-America awards, five ACC track and field individual titles, four ACC cross country titles and Laurie Henes' 1991 NCAA crown in the 5,000 meters. She joined Geiger's staff after her col- legiate career ended and was named the official caretaker of the women's cross country program in 2006 and the track and field program in 2019. She said the success those programs have enjoyed is no great secret. "We all take care of each other," Henes said. "It's pretty simple. The upperclass- men have a pretty good idea of what the underclassmen need. My background as an athlete helps me with the current athletes. "It really is a big family." Henes has brought in exceptional run- ners, including a pair of New York natives, junior Katelyn Tuohy and senior Kelsey Chmiel, who finished first and third at this year's NCAA race. Last year, all five scoring runners at the NCAA Champion- ships won All-America honors by finish- ing in the top 40 of the race. This year, four runners were named All-Americans. The past eight years, Henes' team has won two NCAA team titles and finished in the top 10 seven times, while also winning seven consecutive ACC titles. It's not just bringing in athletes to sus- tain the program. The conference began giving All-ACC Academic honors the same year Henes became the head cross country coach. Since then, more than 70 of her runners have been selected for that honor, which requires a 3.0 grade point average. Three team members have been named ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Elly Henes, Hannah Steelman and Chmiel. For all of her individual participation, coaching and family success, Henes has added to her growing legend by consis- tently putting together teams that repre- sent NC State at the highest levels on the course, in the classroom and in the living room. ■ Before taking charge of the Wolfpack cross country and track teams, Laurie Henes was a national champion herself, winning the NCAA 5,000-meter crown in 1991. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS