The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542201
22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER competitors was Tuohy. In yet another sign of the program's camaraderie, the 2022 individual champion was eager to celebrate NC State's latest accomplish- ment with her successors. "It was definitely stressful because you have no control, but I have full faith in these women," Tuohy told report- ers afterward. "They work and train so hard. It was really comforting — kind of like passing the baton to these top girls, because I knew they had it under control." 'We All Do This For Each Other' Well, not entirely under control. Going into the race, the Wolfpack found itself facing some headwinds that had nothing to do with the damp weather in central Missouri. Napoleon was feeling the ef- fects of an unusually long competitive season, while Hartman had been battling an illness as well as foot and hamstring injuries that impacted her toward the end of the campaign. Even though NC State went into the race ranked No. 1, there was reason to feel apprehensive. "We've said the past couple of years, it doesn't have to be perfect to end up with the result that you want," Henes said. "We definitely had some things that weren't perfect." Henes had given her team a conser- vative race plan, and it kept the Pack in the top two throughout the 6-kilometer race. While BYU's Jane Hedengren and Alabama's Doris Lemngole broke away from the field to duel for the individual title, Hartman stayed in the next group and didn't waver. She was in the top 10 at every split, never higher than third, never lower than ninth. "It's [a matter of] gauging your effort so that you still have something left to give in the last 2K," Hartman said. "We talk about hunting. All of us go out there and try to start a little further back and hunt. We went out in front a little bit today, and it hurt at the end, but no re- grets." While Hartman was holding steady, Gapes was gaining ground. She was in 27th place after the first 2 kilometers but had moved up to 17th at the half- way point. By the final kilometer, she was running with Hartman. She ultimately finished a little over a second ahead of her teammate, but it was the team goal that mattered most. "We all do this for each other," Gapes said. "We train together every day, and we have so much fun doing it. Today, we just grinded, and that's how we came out on top. We work hard together every day, and we enjoy the process." Gapes and Hartman both ended up placing in the top 10 for the second con- secutive season. Gapes was eighth last year and fifth in 2025, while Hartman was fifth a year ago and sixth this time around. Michalak made the biggest jump, go- ing from 160th place in 2024 to 29th. Napoleon also improved year-over-year, bettering last season's 96th-place fin- ish by 56 spots. Still, the last kilometer was a struggle for the junior, who had transitioned from a summer full of inter- national competition into the collegiate cross country campaign. She had been in 16th place at the 4K mark but was fading in the race's final stages, falling 21 spots in the last part of the course. "I had to adjust my plan a little bit," Napoleon said. "I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish as well as I wanted, but it's about getting the job done as a team." In the end, Napoleon and her team- mates did enough. NC State's average finish was .02 seconds ahead of BYU's, and that was all it took to bring another national title back to Raleigh. "We were coming apart a little bit at the end," Henes said, "but it worked out." An Exclusive Club With its fourth national champion- Hannah Gapes was NC State's top finisher at the NCAA Championship, placing fifth overall in 18:51.3. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS " We've said the past couple of years, it doesn't have to be perfect to end up with the result that you want. We definitely had some things that weren't perfect." Coach Laurie Henes