The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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Championships 10 times and winning 15 ACC crowns. In 30 years at the helm of the program, head coach Rollie Geiger has men- tored cross country competitors who have earned All-ACC honors 183 times and All- America laurels on 67 occasions. Still, Geiger doesn't hesitate when asked T if this year's combination of senior Ryan Hill — a three-time All-American who capped his career with a 12th-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships — and redshirt soph- omore Andrew Colley — who earned his first All-America accolade after a 15th-place finish at this year's national meet — is the best in program history. "There is no question that these are really quality athletes and this is the best one-two punch we've ever had," Geiger said. "At the [ACC] Championships, their one-two fin- ish was critical — we won the conference by just four points — and when you have two athletes in the top 15 at nationals it's a difference-maker. We've never had two male athletes finish in the top 15 in the history of the program, so that was an outstanding day for both Ryan, Andrew and the team as a whole to finish in the top 10. BY RYAN TICE he men's cross country team at NC State is one of the most storied programs in school history, plac- ing among the top 10 at the NCAA STRONG FROM THE Andrew Colley Is Part Of The Pack's Most Successful Cross Country Duo START I'm sure it was a surprise to the other confer- ence coaches." Colley has accomplished some other im- pressive feats since he first began running competitively in third grade — he set a course and meet record while winning the Virginia 2A state championship as a prep senior — but agreed that this year's national meet was one of his best ever. After struggling with doubts whether he would be able to return to the course this fall, the coaching staff kept his thoughts positive, and his teammates took over from there. "There were a few times where I was just hoping that I could get ready for indoor track; meters after a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. "That was a springboard for what he was going to accomplish this fall, he had per- sonal-best marks in the 5,000, 3,000 and 1,500 — those are things that make you bet- ter in cross country," Geiger said. "He's obvi- ously very talented, but I think his competi- tiveness is his strongest asset. He has goals, he wants to accomplish those goals, and they are very high goals. Finishing second is not what he wants, he wants to win. One thing Ryan and Andrew have in common is they both like to win. "The fact that Andrew is kind of following "He has goals, he wants to accomplish those goals, and they are very high goals. Finishing second is not what he wants, he wants to win. One thing Ryan and Andrew have in common is they both like to win." ■ Cross country coach Rollie Geiger on Colley and teammate Ryan Hill "I told Andrew after the race that I thought the [NCAA] Championships was the best race he's run in his career. I really felt like he was on top of his game that day." Colley's accomplishments were all the more impressive considering he did not com- pete in a race all year before the postseason started. Due to a couple of minor injuries, the last cross country race he competed in before the 2011 ACC Championships was last year's NCAA Championships. However, the near 12-month layoff from the course didn't show — Hill and Colley broke to the front of the pack near the halfway point and maintained the lead positions for the majority of the sec- ond half of the race. "It was interesting because the ACC Cham- pionships was Andrew's first race of the sea- son," Geiger said. "Then, his first race out, he finishes second in the conference to Ryan Hill, who is arguably one of the all-time greats within the conference. "I don't think the coaching staff at NC State was totally surprised by his performance, but 56 ■ THE WOLFPACKER I didn't even think I'd be getting back out there in cross country," Colley admitted. "I re- ally didn't get much consistent training in, but I got a couple of weeks in before ACCs. Just being able to get out there with the team and having a goal in mind really helped and moti- vated me to just give it my all during that race. "It was a little funny to go into a champi- onship race as my opener of the season, but the way our team works is we feed off each other, so my teammates having done so well during the regular season really helped me to do well." Although he paced the squad at the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional last year — placing ninth and sixth, respectively — he fell short of All- America status by seven seconds during his debut season of competition and returned as a more seasoned competitor this campaign. Geiger and Colley both attributed the im- provements to strides he made on the track last spring, which concluded with honorable mention All-America honors in the 5,000 down the path that Ryan took is great for the program and, hopefully, we'll continue to find the success that we've had because the one-two punch will be just a punch next year since Ryan is done with his eligibility. In es- sence, we don't have to replace Ryan because Andrew is at that level, we'll have to replace Andrew. Some of the other guys will have to move up to replace what Andrew has been able to do." Colley has goals of repeating his All-Amer- ica effort on the track during the indoor and outdoor season this year, and he also has next summer's Olympic Trials in his sights. "I want to do better, so next year, I want to see if I can break into the top 10 or maybe even better and get to a single-digit finish," he said. "My last year, I'd like to go for the win and see if I can do it. I really just have to trust in the training and believe in myself." ■ Colley, a redshirt sophomore, earned his first All-America honor with a 15th-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships. PHOTO COURTESY OF NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS