The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368728
66 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "I think our top group is pretty strong," Henes said. "We do have that All-Ameri- can returning, but the gap from one to two was just too big last year. We have to close that. That's what we've talked about as a team, closing that gap. "Between Kaitlyn Kramer, Sammy George, Megan Moye, Erika Kemp and Kenyetta Iyevbele, we have experienced people capable of performing at a high level." Of course, all good teams need depth, and that box is still awaiting a check mark. Alexa Harvey lined up for four var- sity races a year ago, and she and fellow redshirt junior Olivia Enright both had solid track seasons in the spring to build upon. Both should be ready to contribute in 2014. Still, one or more athletes from the Wolfpack's strong freshman class will need to step up and run with the varsity for NC State to be as deep as Henes would like. The Wolfpack has nine freshmen on the roster, several of which were highly recruited. Others flew under the radar in high school but showed attributes that attracted the State coaches, who have a strong record with developing less-her- alded recruits. In an ideal world, Henes would redshirt the entire freshman class, but the world is not ideal and unlike on the men's side, the distance in women's cross country doesn't change radically from high school to college. Instead of 5,000 meters, it's 6,000 meters, which is a minor adjustment. "With freshmen, you never know for sure until you get them on campus," Henes said. "We have a lot of them, and they're high-level athletes. Some of them seemed to be training very well over the summer. We like to be in a position where we don't have to count on freshmen. I feel like we are in that position now, but someone from that freshman class will end up running because it always happens." One last box to check, one that Henes admits went unchecked the last two years, is attitude. That's an ingredient that all championship-level teams have, and the best teams have it in abundance. The NC State women have been to nation- als 26 times, which is tied with Brigham Young for the most in NCAA history. Eleven times, the Wolfpack has finished in the national top 10 — and that doesn't in- clude four top-10 finishes and a pair of na- tional championships under the old AIAW, which existed before the NCAA recog- nized championship events for women. Three State women have combined to win five individual national champion- ships and 24 have earned All-America honors, 11 of them more than once. Henes was a two-time All-American in cross country and a national champion in track. The program is steeped in success, and NC State runners have traditionally had plenty of attitude. That's a good thing. The NCAA Championships features a 31-team field, with the top two teams from each of nine regionals earning automatic bids. The remaining 13 bids are chosen at large and are determined by criteria points based on who finished ahead of whom during the regular season. NC State just missed earning an automatic bid by five points at the regional in 2012, and missed at-large bids by the narrowest of margins each of the last two years. Lack of attitude wasn't the only factor in the Wolfpack coming up short — lack of success in early-season races also was a problem — but Henes believes attitude definitely played a part. "This group was so upset with sitting there third in the region and not qualifying for nationals the last two years," Henes said. "Judging by how they're training, I think it's safe to say they've got a chip on their shoulder. I hope they do. "I know Joanna does. She's been at na- tionals with a team and without a team [as an at-large individual], and she definitely doesn't want to go back without her team with her." ■ Noting The Pack • ACC expansion continues to play a factor in ACC cross country. A year ago, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh entered the conference, with Syracuse winning the men's championship. This year, Louisville — another strong cross country program — en- ters the ACC. The 15-team field for the conference championship race should be stronger than any of the nine NCAA regional races. The conference now features schools from four different NCAA regions, meaning that the conference championship meet, which does not determine an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships, offers teams a chance to earn criteria points against teams from other regions. In order to qualify for the NCAA Championships, a team must either finish first or second in its respec - tive NCAA regional, or have enough criteria points to earn one of 13 at-large berths. • Joanna Thompson became NC State's 42nd All- American in women's cross country in 2013, when she finished 36th at the NCAA Championships. • With Thompson and Laura Hoer (2010) on the roster, this season marks the eighth consecu- tive campaign that NC State has at least one All- American on the women's roster. Runners To Watch Senior Joanna Thompson Thompson broke through and earned All-America honors in cross country a year ago, finishing 36th at the NCAA Championships. She's also a former All-American in track in the 10,000 meters and has been NC State's top performer in cross country each of the last two seasons. She was State's top finisher in all five races a year ago, then earned All-America accolades as an at-large participant at the NCAA Championships. Junior Samantha George The ACC Freshman of the Year and an All-ACC performer in 2012, George saw limited ac- tion in 2013 because of physical issues. She was training at a high level over the summer and should compete for the second spot in the Wolfpack lineup. Redshirt sophomore Megan Moye Moye finished off a solid first season by earning all-region honors with a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional. She finished among NC State's top three runners in four of five races a year ago, then capped the school year in style by qualifying for the NCAA Champion- ships in the 1,500 meters. ■ By The Numbers 2 Former All-Americans, including one 2013 All- American, on the 2014 roster. 5 Returning athletes who ran in the 2013 NCAA Southwest Regional. 11 Individual ACC champions all time for NC State. 21 ACC team championships for the Wolfpack. ■ Key Meets To Watch Notre Dame Invitational, Oct. 3, South Bend, Ind. — The Wolfpack ran the Roy Griak In- vitational in Minneapolis the last several years, but the Notre Dame course is more forgiving physically than the rigorous course in Minneapolis, while the competition is just about as strong. NCAA Pre-Nationals, Oct. 19, Terre Haute, Ind. — After running at Wisconsin the last few seasons, NC State returns to the NCAA Pre-Nationals in 2014. Run on the same course as the NCAA Championships five weeks later, the Pre-Nationals meet allows athletes to familiarize themselves with the course in Terre Haute while competing against a deep field from all across the country. ACC Championships, Nov. 1, Charlottes - ville, Va. — The new and expanded ACC includes teams from four different NCAA regionals, allowing teams a final chance to earn criteria points at the confer- ence championship race. With NC State in the Southeast Region, finishing ahead of non-Southeast powers from Notre Dame (Great Lakes), Syracuse (Northeast), Bos- ton College (Northeast) and Florida State (South) gives the Wolfpack a chance to enhance its case for a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.