The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1513610
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER by Henes as "the heart and soul of the program," Chmiel suffered a lower-leg injury following a third-place perfor- mance at the ACC Championships. NC State got the news a few days before the NCAA meet that Chmiel wouldn't be able to compete. By then, the race plan was in place, and Henes explained to her team she wasn't going to tamper with it. "I told them we couldn't change any- thing, couldn't change strategies — just do exactly what we were going to do if she was in the race," Henes said. With Chmiel on crutches, the Pack was going to need more than just a heroic performance from Tuohy. It was going to need everyone to peak on race day. That included Tyynismaa, an Alabama transfer who had finished ninth at na- tionals while with the Crimson Tide in 2022 but who had been slumping head- ing into this year's race. Tyynismaa had cramped up at the ACC Champion- ships on Oct. 27 and didn't finish. At the Southeast Regionals two weeks later, she was struggling to regain her competi- tive mindset and didn't finish that race either. For a while, Tyynismaa wasn't sure she even wanted to compete at the NCAA Championships, but everything snapped back into focus when she began think- ing about the connections she'd made with her new teammates and how much they needed her to be at her best at the national meet. Tyynismaa went on to finish in 19:55.3, placing 25th overall and second among NC State's runners. "I was just running with heart out there," she said. "I knew I had it in me. The staff knew I had it in me, the girls, Coach Henes. We were a little nervous before, but I knew I was going to come through for my team no matter what." Bush, came through, too. She'd en- dured some trials of her own in the preceding months, having been slowed throughout the summer by a hip injury that had first flared up during the out- door track season. The coaching staff took a cautious approach with her re- covery in the hope that she would be ready to excel when the postseason ar- rived. Seeing Tuohy struggling at nation- als only served to reinforce what Bush already knew: On this day, every point was going to count. She passed 14 run- ners in the final kilometer, coming in just behind Tyynismaa in 28th place with a time of 20:00.7. "I started out pretty far behind, which I usually do, but this time it was more than usual," she said. "I was just trying to pick off as many people as I could. "This year, I was coming in a little less confident than in years prior, just because I was coming back from an in- jury. I was trying to keep myself under control and go for it." Trailing Bush were freshman Leah Stephens in 43rd place (20:08.2) and sophomore Grace Hartman in 63rd (20:24.4). Both were making their first appearance at the NCAA Champion- ships and delivered key performances to round out the team scoring for the Wolfpack. Sophomore Hannah Gapes was also competing at nationals for the first time and placed 73rd (20:30.2), while senior Gionna Quarzo was 102nd (20:41.4). Stephens hit the finish line alongside runners from Wisconsin and California Baptist but edged them both by a tenth of a second. That split second would " Everyone says they want to be an underdog. When you actually are, embrace it. Fight for every spot. Every one of them did." Laurie Henes Following the season, Laurie Henes was named National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and she also won league honors from the ACC. PHOTO BY JOSHUA DWIGHT/NC STATE ATHLETICS