The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538921
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 ■ 43 BY MATT HERB t was an 8,500-mile leap of faith that brought Hannah Gapes to NC State. As a young runner growing up in Rotorua, New Zealand, Gapes had excelled in distance events at the U18 and U20 levels in her homeland, catching the attention of American college coaches. NC State's Laurie Henes was one of them. Living at the far end of the opposite hemisphere, five time zones from the nearest continental U.S. airport, Gapes was never going to have a conventional recruiting experience, and the COVID lockdown only added to the difficulties she faced as she tried to figure out the next steps in her athletic and academic careers. Still, the coaches at numerous top programs were convinced that she had a bright future at the American collegiate level. Gapes was convinced, too, so she continued to press on. "This was all done through Zoom," she recalled. "People would take their com- puters outside to show me the scenery. It was a big leap of faith, but I was so, so strong in what I wanted to do with the sport and what I thought I needed, which was a team." Gapes found everything she was look- ing for in Henes' program at NC State. The Wolfpack had won the national championship in 2021 and boasted the kind of supportive culture that she was eager to join. "At the end of the day, it came down to the coach and the team, and what she wanted to get out of me and how she would value me as a runner and as a per- son, and that I would feel supported in that regard," Gapes said. "It was defi- nitely very tricky doing all this through the camera, because we weren't allowed to leave the country." Gapes didn't compete in cross country her first year on campus and was 73rd at nationals the following season, but she took what she described as "a really exciting leap" as a junior. At the NCAA Championships, she covered the 6-kilo- meter course in 19:42.7, finishing eighth overall and second behind Grace Hart- man among NC State's runners. As a team, the Wolfpack placed eighth, 104 points behind national champion BYU. It was the end of the team's three- year run as national champion, but con- sidering that the Pack was rebuilding fol- lowing the graduation of Katelyn Tuohy, Kelsey Chmiel and other key performers, it was a valiant showing. "We'd had a lot of changes with se- niors moving on," Gapes said. "As a team, I thought we performed brilliantly. We had a lot of people step up, and it was just really inspiring to see." With the 2025 season set to begin Sept. 19 at the Adidas XC Challenge in Cary, those athletes are back and are looking to build on last year's performance. All seven of NC State's finishers from the 2024 NCAA Championships have re- turned. Highlighting the group is Hart- man, a senior who last year won the ACC title and placed fifth at nationals with a time of 19:39.5. Also back are graduate Brooke Rauber and junior Angelina Napoleon. Rauber finished 50th at nationals last year, while Napoleon was 96th and is coming off a head-turning outdoor season. She was third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships, finishing in 9:16.66, and she bettered that per- formance with a 9:10.72 in her Diamond League debut — the eighth-fastest time by an American in the event. The Pack also welcomes standout newcomer Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura, Calif., a five-time state champion, four- time national champ and the 2024 Gato- rade Athlete of the Year. NC State was No. 3 in the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. Defending na- tional champion BYU was first, followed by Oregon. New Mexico was fourth and West Virgiina fifth. A Great Opportunity If her recent performance at the New Zealand National Championships is any indication, Gapes is ready for the chal- lenge that awaits in her senior year. Hav- Gapes finished eighth at the NCAA Championships as a junior, covering the 6-kilometer course at Madison, Wis., in 19:42.7. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS LONG-DISTANCE DEDICATION Hannah Gapes Journeys Far From Home In Pursuit Of Her Athletic Goals I 2025 Women's Cross Country Schedule Date Event Time Sept. 19 Adidas XC Challenge* TBA Oct. 3 Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront** TBA Oct. 3 at ECU Pirate Invitational^ TBA Oct. 17 Nuttycombe Invitational^^ TBA Oct. 17 Panorama Farms Invitational $ TBA Oct. 31 ACC Championships # TBA Nov. 14 NCAA Southeast Regionals $ TBA Nov. 22 NCAA Championships ## TBA * at Cary, N.C. ** at Chicago ^ at Greenville, N.C. ^^ Madison, Wis. $ at Charlottesville, Va. # at Louisville, Ky. ## at Columbia, Mo.