North Carolina State University Athletics
Cross Country Seeks District Title
11/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 14, 2002
NC State will take the course for competition in the District III Cross Country Championships in Greenville, N.C. at East Carolina University on Saturday. Both the men's and women's team seek to receive bids to the NCAA Championships to be held November 25 with top performances this weekend. Men's ACC individual champion David Patterson will lead the Wolfpack men, while the women will call upon the services of All-American Kristin Price to lead the field.
The men were crowned ACC Champions two weeks ago, with four of its runners placing in the top five overall, and all eight in the top 20. A season low score of 17 led the field and gave the Wolfpack its seventh championship in the last eight years. The teams is currently ranked No. 19 in the nation. Guided by ACC coaching legend Rollie Geiger, the team seeks a top finish in this weekend's race in order to complete its second of three goals.
"We always have three goals," says the ACC Men's Coach of the Year. "It starts with winning the ACC Championship. Our next goal is to qualify got the NCAA nationals, and then to finish in the top 10 in Terre Haute. We already have one of our goals, but the next two are very important. You can't do the last one unless you qualify, so right now we're concentrating on the regional championships."
 David Patterson captured the individual crown at the ACC Championships two weeks ago.  |
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This weekend's lineup will look similar to what the Pack ran with at the conference championships, and hopes to have the same kind of results.
"We may not score 17 points again," says Geiger, "but we hope to have our first and fifth runners finish within a 30 second difference. It will be important to keep our pack together."
The race will be the longest that the men have run this season, as the course at East Carolina is a full 10,000 meters. The terrain is flat and allows fast times for the distance. This Wolfpack team, loaded with well-rounded athletes and not so much speed, should be able to take top honors and have no problem with the extra distance.
The only other men's team ranked in the top 30 of the most recent poll is William and Mary. State and W&M have consistently finished one and two in the district and gained the southeast automatic bids to the season finale.
The No. 6 women's team also successfully defended its crown two weeks ago. However, for the first time in conference history, shares the title with Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons will try again to take top honors from the Wolfpack this weekend, along with a number of other quality programs. Aside from ACC foes No. 11 Virginia, No. 14 Duke and No. 18 UNC, No. 27 James Madison and No. 31 William and Mary will challenge for top honors. The southeast is loaded with a deep line of talented distance runners.
The women will again be led by Price, but welcomes the return of Megan Coombs to the lineup. Coombs has ran in only one race this season, but is ready to regain her spot in the top of the field. With an outstanding performance, she could upset ACC Champion Shalane Flanagan of UNC. Flanagan is undefeated in her career - minus her two NCAA races.
 This weekend, the Wolfpack will regain the services of All-American Megan Coombs, who did not line up at the conference championships. |
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"We really have some amazing girls on our team," says All-ACC runner Josianne Lauber. "I think these girls are really going to surprise themselves [at regionals]. When people go down, it effects all of us, because we're so close as a team. Some of the girls have been working so hard to get over their injuries; they work out at least once, sometimes twice a day in the pool. When our girls are asked to step up, they do, and we will again at regionals."
Lauber, Abagail Nelkie and Janelle Vadnais finished in the two, three and four spots in the Wolfpack lineup and will be a huge factor in the team's finish on Saturday. Lauber put together what is arguably the best outing of her career at the championships in Atlanta, with a sixth place finish. Nelkie and Vadnais have been consistent and are capable of running well when called upon.
The remaining two spots in the lineup are still a question mark going into the weekend. Freshman Julia Lucas did not score at the conference meet, but had performed well on every other occasion this season. Kristina Roth stepped up two weeks ago to finish ninth for the team and garner all-conference honors. Diana Henderson and Renee Gunning are also possibilities.
"This is a year where we feel like we have nine people who can line up and race for us," says associate head coach Laurie Henes. "It's going to be tough to decide who is going to run."
The Wolfpack hopes to find the winning combination as it heads into Saturday's races. The women will take the course first at 10:00 a.m., before the men compete at 11:00 a.m.
