Pack Concludes Weekend at Payton Jordan

PALO ALTO, Calif. – The NC State track and field team concluded the weekend at the Payton Jordan Invitational Sunday night, as Meron Simon, Graham Crawford and Stephen Furst competed for the Pack at the elite distance meet.

Simon opened the meet for the Pack, debuting in the steeplechase. Simon, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the event last season with the University of Washington took 13^th in his section with a time of 8:59.21. His mark is currently ranked eighth in the ACC.

Simon now has ACC qualifying marks in the 1,500m, 5,000m and steeplechase. The senior is also in a position to qualify regionally for all three events.

In the 1,500m, Crawford produced another speedy race with a sub 4:45 time, running 4:43.68 to finish 11^th in section two. After opening with a 45 second split, Crawford and the chase pack ran 60 second splits the next two laps. He closed the final lap in 58.56.

Crawford is currently eighth in the NCAA with his PR of 3:40.69 He is also eighth in the 5,000m with his mark of 13:42.55. The Burlington, N.C., native is second in school history in both events – just behind Wolfpack legend Ryan Hill.

Alumni Stephen Furst closed out the evening for the Wolfpack, finishing sixth in section two of the 10,000m. Furst crossed the finish line in 28:45.36, which is just over 30 seconds from the USATF Olympic Trials mark. Furst recently completed the USATF Marathon Trials in February.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Graham Crawford

Meron Simon