North Carolina State University Athletics
Cross Country Sweeps Wolfpack Invitational
9/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Raleigh, N.C.-The NC State cross country squads kicked off the 2000 season with a sweep of the mens and womens races at the adidas Wolfpack Invitational at the University Club in Raleigh Sept. 16.
This was the sixth sweep for the Wolfpack in the eight-year history of the event.
NC States eighth-ranked men took the win with a score of 22 points. Virginia placed second with 43 points, followed by Georgia Tech (68), East Carolina (129) and Campbell (187) to round out the top five. Both fields ran courses that were not were not of regulation distance. The men ran 7,400 meters as opposed to 8,000 meters and the women ran 5,224 meters instead of 5,000 meters.
Redshirt sophomore David Patterson took the victory for the Wolfpack in a time of 23:38. Patterson, a native of nearby Cary, NC, was the 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year. He finished just ahead of redshirt sophomore All-ACC honoree Dean Bowker, who finished second overall in 23:40. Sophomore Chad Pearson was fourth in his first appearance as a member of the Wolfpack with a time of 23:50, while redshirt freshmen Nick Mangum and Devin Swann finished seventh (23:58) and eighth (23:59), respectively, to round out the scoring for the Wolfpack. Redshirt junior Scott Wirgau placed 14th (24:20), along with redshirt freshman David Christian (18th, 24:27), junior All-ACC Mike Fitzula (22nd, 24:48) and redshirt junior Ryan Woods (26th, 25:01) to complete the field for the Wolfpack.
The ninth-ranked Wolfpack women took the team title with a score of 37 points running without two-time senior All-American Christy Nichols and All-ACC honorees Amy Beykirch and Lindsey Rogers. The Virginia Cavaliers took second with 40 points, followed by Georgia Tech (85), Wake Forests 'B' squad (107) and the University of Richmond (156).
Junior Beth Fonner, a native of Trinity, NC, took the individual title for the Wolfpack with a time of time of 18:40. 1999 All-American Katie Sabino took second just ten seconds off the pace at 18:50. Redshirt freshman Diana Henderson took eighth at 19:35, redshirt junior Beth Kraft took tenth with a time of 19:39 and redshirt sophomore Melinda Dubose took 16th with at time of 19:59 to close out the scoring. Other finishers for NC State include 1998 ACC Rookie of the Year Jennifer Modliszewski (17th, 20:03), redshirt freshmen Yvonne Downing (19th, 20:07) and Rebecca Hoover (56th, 21:49) and sophomore Alisha Little (74th, 22:53).
NC State will be in action Saturday, September 23rd in Charlotte, NC at the Great American Cross Country Festival.
