The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "I look at Sammi, Megan and Erika as the anchors of our team and to provide that leadership," Henes said. Kemp just missed making all-conference last fall, then earned all-region accolades and capped her season with a 76th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. George was the 2012 ACC Rookie of the Year in cross country, earning all-conference hon- ors in the process. Moye, while more of a middle-distance runner specializing in the 1,500 meters in track, has been one of the Wolfpack's steadiest performers in cross country the past two seasons. Beyond those three, Kaitlyn Kramer is a senior who redshirted in 2014, but was a mainstay in the starting lineup prior to that. Alexa Harvey and Olivia Enright provide senior depth. At the other end of the age spectrum, Mary Grace Doggett and Bianca Bishop both turned in strong seasons as true freshmen a year ago, and both lined up for the NCAA regional and champion- ship meets. Redshirt freshmen Rachel Koon, Megan Rempel, Gianna Frontera, Lizzy Kroeger and Bella Smith all had excellent rookie seasons in cross country and/or track. Then there is the incoming recruiting class, led by Raleigh sensation Ryen Frazier, but also including Indiana transfer Bethany Neeley and Ohio cross country state cham- pion Sarah Kanney. Neeley started for IU in cross country last fall, helping lead the Hoosiers to their highest national finish in 12 years. Kanney won four state champion- ships in her high school career, two in cross country and two in track and field. Frazier, meanwhile, finished second in the high school cross country nationals. She and her older sister Wesley — a national prep sen- sation two years ago and a transfer to State from Duke who is sitting out this fall — bring some star power to the program along with a championship level of commitment. Between them, they won 12 national titles during their high school careers and look to add more col- legiately. Both see NC State as the ideal place to accomplish that goal. "Ryen and her sister want to be in a pro- gram that has a chance to be on the podium," Henes said. "From the very first visit, the first conversations with her, Ryen's goals were the same as the program's. She's very serious about that." This fall, NC State should have the ex- perience, talent and motivation to go with a world of tradition. "Everyone is on the same page and is willing to work together to accomplish our goals," Henes said. ■ ■ By The Numbers O All-Americans on the roster for the first time since 2005. 11 Individual Wolfpack ACC champions all time. 28 NCAA Championship appearances by NC State, the most in the 31-team field at the 2014 meet. Noting The Pack • Rachel Koon, who made the women's cross country team in a tryout last fall, finished sixth for the USA Junior National team at the APA Pan American Cross Country Cup Feb. 22 in Barranquilla, Columbia. A rising redshirt fresh- man from Asheville's T.C. Roberson High School, Koon missed earning a position on the U.S. Junior National Team for the World Championships by one spot. • Laura Hoer and Joanna Thompson continued an NC State cross country tradition in the spring by earning Weaver-Corrigan Postgraduate Schol - arships from the ACC. In addition, Mary Grace Doggett, Erika Kemp and Megan Moye each earned a spot on the ACC's Academic Cross Country team. Three Runners To Watch Erika Kemp, junior — The Wolfpack's No. 2 runner last season, Kemp finished 23rd at the ACC Cham- pionships, missing All-ACC honors by just two spots. She atoned for that disappointment two weeks later with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional to earn all-region accolades, and then finished a respectable 76th at the NCAA Championships. In the spring, she competed in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Samantha George, senior — The ACC Freshman of the Year and an All-ACC per- former in 2012, George finished 26th at the 2014 ACC Championships, then ran a 15:51 in the 5,000 meters during the outdoor track season. That breakthrough should have her poised for a strong senior season. Megan Moye, junior — An NCAA qualifier in the 1,500 meters in track, she earned all-region honors in cross country two years ago and had a solid cross country campaign last fall, scoring points by finishing among State's top five four times. She finished 134th at the NCAA Championships. GEORGE ■ Key Meets • Notre Dame Invitational, Oct. 2, South Bend, Ind. — The second meet of the season should provide strong competition while challenging teams to get off to a fast start on a relatively flat course. • Wisconsin adidas Invitational, Oct. 16, Madison, Wis. — NC State switched from the NCAA Pre-National race to the Wisconsin Invitational this season because the stacked lineup in Madison provides ample opportunity to earn criteria points, which the NCAA uses in awarding possible at-large team bids to the NCAA Championships. • ACC Championships, Oct. 30, Tallahassee, Fla. — The Pack will attempt to win its league-best 22nd ACC crown in one of the strongest conferences in the country. Eight teams from the ACC ran in the NCAA Championships last year — Virginia, Florida State, NC State, North Carolina, Boston College, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech — making up more than 25 percent of the 31-team field. Newcomer To Watch Ryen Frazier, freshman — As a prep senior, Frazier — who attended Raleigh's Raven- scroft High School — won national champion- ships in track in the mile, two-mile (indoors and outdoors) and the 5,000 meters in times that, according to Runner's World, "collectively are among the fastest ever by a high school girl." Redshirt junior Megan Moye was an all- region performer two years ago and one of NC State's most consistent performers last season, scoring points for the Wolfpack in four races. PHOTO BY CHERYL TREWORGY