The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/714462
58 ■ THE WOLFPACKER fourth year, so we're going to look at Bakri as a major player. He had some good track marks during the season. And as is the case with Sam, when you run well in track, it tends to spill over to cross country. I'm look- ing for Parsons and Bakri to be two of our major players. "Aubrey Myjer graduated from Columbia last year and has a year of eligibility remain- ing. … He's shown some signs of running at a really high level. Someone stepping into the program with four years of experience, we're looking for an immediate contribution. He's a newcomer, but he's not a freshman." After those three, there is plenty of talent, but precious little experience. Redshirt soph- omore Zack Langston was in the lineup for all five varsity races last season and cracked the Wolfpack's top five twice, at the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional. Patrick Sheehan, another third- year sophomore, ran in one race in 2014, the NCAA Southeast Regional, but redshirted a year ago. He nearly qualified for the junior national team. Phillip Hall ran two cross country races as a true freshman in 2015, and then ran multiple events in track and field. Kyle Christ redshirted as a true freshman a year ago, but had a solid first campaign on the track. Aaron and Alec Thomas are third-year sophomores who have shown promise. Redshirt sophomore Wyatt Maxey was hurt last year, but was a multiple-time state champion at Charlotte (N.C.) Providence. Redshirt freshman Ben Barrett was a six-time state champion in Oklahoma and a two-time Foot Locker finalist. Two freshmen come in with credentials that indicate they could contribute as rookies. Edwin Rutto, from Newark, Del., was a three-time state champion in indoor track and a three-time New Balance Nationals qualifier. He was state champion in cross country two years ago, winning six of seven races. Joey Bistritz comes from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, continuing the NC State pipeline from north- eastern Ohio. He was a two-time Ohio state champion in cross country that trained with former Wolfpack standout Bobby Moldovan. There are others Geiger certainly won't hesitate to use should they show they're ready. That's a lot of names for a handful of spots in the lineup. All are talented, and all still have much to prove. And now it's time. "At the end of the day, we have to have leadership from Sam and Bakri, and from Aubrey Myjer," Geiger said. "After that, any- one in your second or third year, it's time. It's your turn. The program has a tradition. My expectations for this team do not change. So we have to have some guys take this role. One of the things I always say is, don't look for someone else to get it done. It's your time. "The expectations are high, yes, but that's NC State cross country. That's who we are. When you put on that uniform, that's why you chose to come here." ■ Runners To Watch Fifth-year senior Sam Parsons An All-ACC and all-region pick the last two years, Parsons returns for his final turn at cross country as a bona fide All-America candidate and NC State's undisputed senior leader. He led the Wolfpack in three of the final four races of 2015, and then had a solid campaign on the track. Redshirt junior Bakri Abushouk Abushouk finally established himself as one of the top runners in the program a year ago, earning All-ACC and all-region honors. He ran in the Wolfpack's top four all season and finished the season with a solid top-75 finish at the NCAA Championships, 15 seconds off of All-America pace. Fifth-year senior Aubrey Myjer A graduate transfer from Columbia, Myjer brings experience to the program. He took third place at the Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championships, earning All-Ivy League honors. Redshirt junior Bakri Abushouk was the Pack's No. 2 finisher at the NCAA Championships last year, checking in at 71st overall. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS ■ By The Numbers 3 The most years NC State has gone without an individual men's ACC champion since Bob Henes won the program's first individual title in 1987. 4 The number of All-ACC runners for the Wolfpack in 2015, the most in one year for the Pack since 2008. 4 The most years NC State has gone without the men winning an ACC team championship since winning the title in 1986 (which was the program's first since 1953). Noting The Pack • NC State has won 12 of the last 20 ACC cham- pionships and 14 of the last 24. The Wolfpack men have won 16 conference championships in all, 15 of them under head coach Rollie Geiger. NC State finished a strong second a year ago, but the confer- ence winner, Syracuse, went on to win the national championship. • With Sam Parsons leading NC State at the ACC Championships a year ago with a seventh-place individual finish, the Wolfpack missed out on having a runner in the top five at the conference race for just the third time in the last 10 years, and only fourth time in the last 27 years dating back to 1989. • The 2014 and '15 seasons marked the first time since 2008 that no NC State men's runner earned All-America honors. Ryan Hill and Andrew Colley each brought home those laurels three times in the five-year span from 2009-13 (both were All- Americans in 2011). The Pack went five years from 2005-08 without an All-American, but prior to that NC State had at least one men's All-American every year dating back to 1995, with the exception of 2002. NC State men have earned All-America honors 28 times since 1980.