North Carolina State University Athletics
Track Sends Five Individuals to Indoor NCAA Championships
3/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Track
March 5, 2002
Raleigh, N.C. - The NC State women's track & field team will be sending five athletes to compete in three events this weekend at the 2002 Indoor NCAA Championships being held at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. The Pack highlights the 5,000 meters with the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in that race.
Sophomore Kristin Price, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has run the fastest time in the 5,000 meters this season, running a 16:08.15 when she was crowned ACC Champion back in February. Last season at Virginia Tech, Price earned All-American honors in the 5,000 meters during the outdoor season with a 10th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Senior Amy Beykirch is seeded third in the 5,000 meters, after capturing third place at the ACC Championships with a NCAA Automatic time of 16:12.41.
NC State will have three runners compete in the 3,000 meters. Price is the top ranked Pack runner, ranking seventh. Last season while running for Virginia Tech, Price earned All-American honors after she took fourth (9:18.77) at the Indoor NCAA Championships as a freshman. Price has posted two automatic times in the 3,000 meters this season, including one at the ACC Championships for a second place finish.
Senior Katie Sabino and sophomore Megan Coombs will also be running in the 3,000 meters. Both Sabino and Coombs captured NCAA Automatic times at last week's UNC Last Chance Meet, a mere 0:00.78 seconds apart, and going into this race Sabino is the 11th seed and Coombs is the 12th seed. Sabino has competed in three separate NCAA Championships in her career, including a 13th place finish in the 3,000 meters (9:33.37) at the 2000 Indoor Championships. Coombs will be competing in her first NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Kristen Pace, who missed most of last season due to injury, will be making her second trip to the NCAA Championships and compete in the high jump. In 2000 as a freshman, Pace captured 10th place with a mark of 5'10", and earned All-American honors during the indoor season. Pace enters the meet ranked 15th, with a season-best mark of 5'10.75" coming last week at North Carolina's Last Chance Meet.
The 5,000 meters will be run on Friday at 7:20 p.m. On Saturday, the high jump will begin at 3:45 p.m. and the 3,000 meters will be at 7:25 p.m.
