The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1502339
JULY/AUGUST 2023 ■ 43 BY MATT HERB here were a few fleeting mo- ments during the NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship last Novem- ber when Katelyn Tuohy lost sight of the competitor she was chasing, Florida's Parker Valby. In those moments, the NC State junior had to rely on the cheers of the crowd to let her know how far ahead her rival was. Tuohy was not liking what she was hearing. "I think at one point, Valby's lead was over 10 seconds, and I was like, 'That's re- ally big,'" she recalled. "But I stayed con- fident and just went from there." Her faith proved entirely justified. Over the final kilometer of the hilly, winding course in Stillwater, Okla., Tuohy tracked down Valby, passing her on an uphill stretch and coasting through the final downhill to claim the championship. She finished in a course-record 19:27.7, and even more satisfying than owning a piece of history was the knowledge that she had helped NC State capture its second con- secutive NCAA team title. "I'm super happy right now," Tuohy gushed in the post-race news conference. "It's hard to put it into words." For a lot of athletes, winning an in- dividual NCAA championship and an- choring a team title would by themselves make for a marvelous athletic season, but Tuohy … well … she just went from there. The indoor track season was a blur of shattered records and first-place finishes. Returning to her home state in Janu- ary for the Dr. Sander Invitational, the distance-running standout from Stony Point, N.Y., set an NCAA record in the mile, finishing in 4:24.26. The previous record had stood since 2009. In February, she was back in New York for the Millrose Games and set an- other collegiate record, finishing the 3,000-meter race in 8:35.20. Tuohy maintained her relentless pace at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, taking first place in both the 5,000 (16:09.65) and 3,000 (9:10.07). For the outdoor season, she and Wolf- pack coach Laurie Henes formulated a plan aimed at keeping her legs fresh for the NCAA Championships and beyond. She would skip some events in the spring, including the Raleigh Relays, in the hope that she would be in peak form for NCAAs in June and the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships the following month. At the On Track Fest in Walnut, Calif., in May, Tuohy picked up where she left off, setting a collegiate record in the out- door 5,000 with a time of 15:03.12. But the NCAA meet didn't go as hoped. She was entered in both the 1,500 and 5,000, with the finals set to take place only two hours apart on a swelter- ing night in Austin, Texas. After leading most of the way in the earlier race, Tuohy faded on the final lap and finished sev- enth. She pulled out of the 5,000 later that evening, forgoing the opportunity to defend her 2022 NCAA outdoor crown in that event. Joe Battaglia of FloTrack.com noted af- terward that Tuohy had been attempting a wildly ambitious goal. "What cannot and should not be taken for granted is how much planning and training goes into trying to make magic and, despite that incredible level of effort, how fragile the whole pursuit really is," Battaglia wrote. "For Tuohy, the 1500-meter/5000- meter double was never going to be easy, as evidenced by the depth that was show- cased in the 1,500 semifinals, where the top seven qualifiers for the final broke 4:09." If Tuohy's finish was viewed as a sur- prise, it may have been at least partly be- cause she had so often made the incredible look effortless. Her win over Valby at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, for example, had seemed almost preordained as soon as she began gaining ground. There was nothing effortless about it, though, as Tuohy readily acknowledged when asked after the race to describe how she felt when she approached the finish line. "I was like, 'I can't wait for this to be over,'" she said. "I was in a lot of pain." Her next steps won't be any easier. She'll be chasing a spot on the U.S. Olym- pic team in 2024, perhaps after coming back for some portion of her senior year with the Wolfpack. "Making the Olympic team is the gold standard," Tuohy told GoPack.com. "It's one of the biggest goals I have. It's some- thing you dream about as a kid. NC State would definitely play a big role in me get- ting to that line and taking my shot at be- coming an Olympian." ■ Tuohy excelled both on the track and the cross country course, claiming three national championships during her junior year. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS T 2022-23 YEAR IN REVIEW ATHLETES OF THE YEAR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR KATELYN TUOHY THRILL OF THE CHASE Standout Distance Runner Enjoys A Record-Setting Year For The Pack