North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
ACC Championships
NC State Men Capture Third Consecutive Conference Crown
11/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 1, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wolfpack men's cross country team captured its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title, and donned the winning runner for the second consecutive year. Paced behind the strong running of champion Andy Smith, the squad placed its five scorers in the top 10 of the field to put together a solid score of 27 and win the program's 12th title.
Smith made the turn out of the woods and looked over his left shoulder approximately 40 yards from the finish and saw only his teammate, Chad Pearson. The junior from Hudson, Ohio sprinted to the finish, turning in a winning time of 24:13.1 on the 8K course. Pearson, a senior, crossed six and a half seconds later, taking the runner-up honors at the championship for the second time in his racing career. He finished second to lead the team in 2001. The conference meet was the first of the season for Pearson, who had been nursing injuries and illnesses during the regular season. Senior Devin Swann, the 2002 runner-up finished in fifth place. Redshirt-freshman Allen Bader and Wesley Smith completed scoring with ninth- and 10th-place finishes. Smith, a true freshman, is the younger brother of champion Andy Smith.
Bobby Mack, another true freshman, finished in 13th and junior Ricky Brookshire took 15th. Senior David Christian finished 36th.
With the win, NC State captured its 12th men's title in the 50-year history of the race, a mark which leads all ACC schools. It is the 11th title produced by Rollie Geiger, and the ninth individual champion to win under his tutelage. The men's team has won eight of the last nine conference championships.
NC State was followed by Florida State, who placed second with 66 points. Virginia was third with 83 points, while Clemson finished fourth with 130 points. Wake Forest finished with 139 points, finishing fifth in the race and was followed by Georgia Tech (6th - 156), Maryland (7th - 161), North Carolina (8th - 183) and Duke (9th - 206).
The Wolfpack will take the next two weeks to prepare for the District III Championships, which will be held in Greenville, N.C. on Nov. 15 at East Carolina University.
Team Results 1. NC State (27 points) 2. Florida State (66) 3. Virginia (83) 4. Clemson (130) 5. Wake Forest (139) 6. Georgia Tech (156) 7. Maryland (161) 8. North Carolina (183) 9. Duke (206)*2003 ACC Men's Cross Country All-Conference Team* 1. Andy Smith, NC State (24:13.1) 2. Chad Pearson, NC State (24.19.6) 3. Will Christian, Virginia (24:21.6) 4. Joep Tigchelaar, Florida State (24:24.7) 5. Devin Swann, NC State (24:34.2) 6. Peter Hess, Maryland (24:35.1) 7. Sean Stevens, Wake Forest (24:36.2) 8. Ian Hornabrook, Florida State (24:39.7) 9. Allen Bader, NC State (24:40.1) 10. Wesley Smith, NC State (24:41.2)
