North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Cross Country Looks to Repeat at ACC Championships
10/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 31, 2002
Raleigh, N.C. - Rollie Geiger will take his men's and women's cross country teams to Atlanta, Ga. this weekend to compete at the ACC Championships on Saturday. The women's team will run for its 20th championship since the inception of the conference, while the men hope to be crowned champions in back-to-back seasons. Both teams enter the races this weekend ranked in the national polls: the women are No. 6 in the nation, while the men fall in at No. 21.
A team that has dominated the league since the late seventies, the women's squad will try and capture its 20th ACC Championship this weekend in the 6,000K race. Under Geiger's guidance, the NC State women have won 16 championships. A 22-time coach of the year, Geiger realizes defending the championship will be a challenge this year.
"The women's conference is very deep and talented this season," says Geiger. "We knew that we would see a quality group running in the conference this season as early as nationals last year.
The Wolfpack women will travel with a group of nine, led by All-American Kristin Price. Despite being plagued with an achilles injury earlier in the season, Price is in post-season form and is ready to challenge for the individual title. Running in just two races this season, she has finished first and 16th. Last year, Price earned All-ACC honors with a seventh place finish, then took second in the District III Championships.
True freshmen Julia Lucas and Kristina Roth could vie for Freshman of the Year honors in this weekend's race. Lucas, who has competed in three races this fall, has posted three top-25 performances, including third overall at the Adidas Invitational back in September. Roth has only raced once with the 'A' squad, but has been performing well in workouts and practice.
Megan Coombs, Josianne Lauber and Janelle Vadnais also have post-season experience. Just a year ago, Coombs finished sixth in the ACC Championships before posting a top-15 performance at nationals.
Abagail Nelkie, Renee Gunning and Diana Henderson will also compete for a spot in the top eight on Saturday. All three have been solid in the fall.
The men will look to capture their second straight title, but at this stage, there is no definite leader of the pack for NC State, and no outright contender for the title in the 8,000K race across the league.
"The conference isn't as deep as it has been in years past," continues Geiger. "There's a great deal of potential around the conference, but I don't think anyone is really running up to their potential right now, including NC State."
The Wolfpack will run three All-ACC performers, but four of last year's championship team members are either redshirting or have graduated.
" Devin Swann and David Patterson should lead us," says Geiger. "They have had good practices this week and the have had good performances in competition this fall."
Swann has had top performances for the Wolfpack, including a third place finish in the Adidas Invitational for which he was named the ACC Performer of the Week. Patterson too has been consistent throughout the season and has finished as high as seventh. In his first season with the Wolfpack, Patterson was named ACC Freshman of the Year and earned All-ACC honors for a seventh place finish that year.
 Dean Bowker and the Wolfpack hope to capture the program's 12th men's title this weekend.  |
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Senior Dean Bowker is looking for a solid performance in the championships. All-ACC as a freshman, Bowker has been plagued with injuries during his career but is healthy and ready to run this Saturday. David Christian, Ricky Brookshire, Kurtis Marlowe and Nick Mangum are also looking to excel in this weekend's race. Christian earned all-conference honors last season. Brookshire was also a part of last year's championship squad. Marlowe and Mangum both raced earlier in the season and hope to capitalize on their training for a strong performance.
Women's Action Around The League
Three ACC teams finished in the top 10 at the NCAA meet last year, and at least five teams could qualify for the national championships this season. Two ACC runners captured individual honors in separate races at the NCAA Pre-Nationals, which were held on the same course the NCAA Championship will be held on in late November. Shalene Flanagan, the top runner from UNC and last year's individual ACC Champion, finished at the top of the 'blue' heat. Florida State's Vicky Gill garnered individual medalist honors in the 'white' race and was named the ACC Performer of the Week for her record-setting winning time.
Wake Forest put together a strong showing at Pre-Nationals and finished second in the 'blue' heat, just above NC State, and fourth overall in the unofficial combined scoring. After the Deacon's phenomenal performance, the team jumped into fourth in the FinishLynx National Poll, after having not been ranked since the second week of the season (Sept. 23, No. 22).
Duke has assembled a team that could pose a threat at the championships for the Wolfpack. Despite having a top seven filled with mostly freshmen, the Blue Devils have been ranked as high as No. 8 this season and currently fall in at No. 13.
North Carolina is paced by Flanagan, a junior, who has finished first in every race she has competed in since her freshman season -- except the NCAA Championship. Named last year's NCAA Cross Country Athlete of the Year, Flanagan led the race with less than a half mile to go, but was forced to slow to a walk before crossing the finish line 19th.
Virginia sits at No. 16 in the latest poll after finishing seventh at Pre-Nationals. First-year runner Kara Scandlin has come on strong recently and can run with the front group in the championships this weekend.
Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Maryland are also in the mix. Georgia Tech was a pre-season top-25. Tech's women are led by senior Katie Griffin, who has been the Jackets top finisher in each of her four races this season. FSU has received votes throughout the season and has the potential to put together a top performance on Saturday.
Men's Action Around The League
NC State enters the championship as the lone team ranked in the top 25 of the Mondo National Poll. Duke was as high as No. 18 the week of Sept. 23, but dropped out Oct. 21, the last time it was released. Blue Devils Chris Williams and Eric Amdisen have both been named ACC Performers of the Week and have hopes of leading their team to a championship.
Clemson runner Scott Shaw has had a great season for the Tigers in 2002 and is considered to be an All-ACC caliber runner. He led the men to a 2nd place performance at the Auburn Invitational against a field of 30 teams.
Florida State has had solid performances throughout the season, finishing first in its own FSU Invitational. Maarten Van den Heuvel and Joep Tigchelaar have paced the Noles in 2002. Van den Heuval
Wake Forest has had positive moments throughout the year behind the success of Mike Altieri. The other three teams, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia, have been relatively quiet this season, but in a year where there is complete parity in the conference, any team has a chance to challenge for the title on Saturday.
