North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Eyes Top Finish at District Championships
11/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
This will be the first 10K race for the men's team this season. After a dominating win at the conference level, NC State hopes to finish in the front of the Pack and punch its ticket to Waterloo, Iowa, site of this year's National Championship.
The scoring five finished in the top 10 of the field at the ACC Championships. The squad is led by All-Americans Andy Smith and Chad Pearson. Smith, a junior, is coming off a winning performance at the conference championships. He was followed by Pearson, a senior, who took runner-up honors. Senior Devin Swann, redshirt freshman Allen Bader and freshman Wesley Smith will also run on Saturday. Swann finished fifth, Bader was ninth and Smith took 10th, each earning all-conference honors.
Bobby Mack, also a true freshman, and Kurtis Marlowe will also see action this weekend. Marlowe is racing with the "A" team for this first time this season.
William & Mary is the only other team ranked in the Mondo top 30 entering the race. Last season the Pack and the Tribe finished one and two in the race. NC State's men have won the last two district races, and have finished either one or two every year since 1995.
The women's race is expected to be highly contested after the ACC meet. NC State finished second to UNC by a small margin of four points. The Pack ran without two-time All-American Kristin Price, and will not receive her services for Saturday's District III race. Pending a top-two finish or an at-large bid, she will be expected to lineup in Waterloo on Nov. 24. Sophomore Julia Lucas has led the team in each of the four races she has competed in this season. Lucas was the team's first scorer at the ACC meet with a fourth-place finish. Seniors Renee Gunning and Lucinda Hull were close behind in fifth and sixth, and should again run well for the team.
Other runners include: sophomore Kristina Roth, junior Josianne Lauber, redshirt freshman Amy Arnold and junior Kara Price. Arnold is coming off her best collegiate race of the season at ACCs.
The NC State women finished second to Wake Forest at last season's meet in Greenville, but had previously won six of the last seven district races. The Wolfpack has finished either first or second every year it has fielded a team in the race since Rollie Geiger was named head coach.
Complete meet results will be available online at www.flashresults.com following the races. The top two finishers of each race will receive an automatic invitation to race for the National Championship on Nov. 25 in Waterloo, Iowa.
