The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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TRACKING THE PACK 12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER S core one for homegrown talent. Lau- rie Henes came to NC State from Boardman, Ohio, more than three de- cades ago to be part of a running pro- gram and family being built by head coach and lifelong mentor Rollie Geiger. From 1988-92, she was a two-time All-American, a four-time All-ACC se- lection and a member of four consecu- tive ACC cross country championship teams. In the final event of her decorated ca- reer, she won the 5,000 meters at the 1991 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Through the years, after being named the Wolfpack's head coach for women's cross country in 2006 and women's track and field in 2019, Henes has built a family and legacy of success, under the tutelage of, and in collaboration with, Geiger. Not only did Henes marry an All- America runner in Bob Henes, one of their two daughters, Elly, was an All- American at NC State who won the same national championship race as her mother in the final event of her col- legiate career. On June 14, Laurie Henes was named the director of both the men's and wom- en's indoor and outdoor track teams, in addition to the duties she has had as head coach of the women's cross coun- try team. She becomes the first woman in NC State athletics history to direct a men's squad. Meanwhile, Geiger was elevated to senior associate athletics director while still retaining his position as men's cross country head coach. That's where he started his coaching career when he first came to NC State in 1979, winning nearly three dozen ACC titles in men's and women's cross country and eight men's track and field championships. While they both have received titu- lar promotions, both coaches insist not much will change other than the decla- ration that Henes is charge of the track and field programs. "Everyone will still be coached by the same coaches they work with now," Henes said. "We still have a great team of coaches that have worked for Coach Geiger, and there will be little transition for the student-athletes. "I believe this is a good situation for everyone." "My role will be to make sure she has the time to do what she needs to do, and that is spend time with the athletes," Geiger added. Still, it's a deserved elevation into a new position, one that is gaining pop- ularity at the highest levels of NCAA Division I track and field. Henes is the second female coach in the ACC to hold such a title, joining Miami's Amy Deem, who has been the director of the Hur- ricanes' indoor and outdoor track and field programs since 2008. Rosalind Joseph of Ohio State and Ca- ryl Smith Gilbert at USC are among the other coaches around the country who have similar arrangements with their programs. "There are a decent number of such positions across the country," Henes said, "but not enough. I'm glad to have the opportunity to be part of that trend." After returning as a graduate assis- tant in 1992 and then becoming Geiger's associate coach six years later, Henes was promoted to women's cross coun- try head coach in 2006. She's the only coach in school history to win back- to-back national titles, having led the women's cross country team to NCAA championships in 2021 and '22. Women's cross country has long been one of the Wolfpack's premier programs, dating back to its introduction, when Geiger was an assistant to head track and field coach Tom Jones. The team has won 28 conference titles, eight of which have come under Henes' leadership. Henes' most recent promotion re- wards not only high achievement in competition, but also her dedication to academics as both a student-athlete and a coach. As an athlete, she won both the ACC's Marie James Scholarship and an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, and claimed the H.C. Kennett Award as NC State's outstanding female student- athlete in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Her teams and individual performers have been similarly successful. Since she was named head coach, Henes has produced 36 All-ACC Academic honors and 19 All-Academic individual awards from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. "Laurie is really, really good at what she does," Geiger noted. "She counsels the kids. She's really good at coaching. The kids love her to death. I don't think there is any aspect of coaching that she's not really good at." ■ Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. Laurie Henes Assumes Historic Leadership Role With Track Programs Named director of the track and field programs in June, Henes (next to Rollie Geiger, who will remain as the men's cross country coach) becomes the first woman in NC State history to coach a men's team. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS