North Carolina State University Athletics
Cross Country Gears Up for District III Championships
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 10, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - On Saturday, Nov. 13, several area cross country programs will converge upon Greenville, N.C., for the District III Cross Country Championships. Included in that group are the men's and women's squads from NC State, led by head coach Rollie Geiger. Geiger, who picked up his 10th Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men's cross country Coach of the Year honor last week, should feel very confident about his teams' chances this weekend. At the ACC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 6, the men captured the conference crown for the fourth consecutive year, while the women placed third overall.
A slew of talented runners will hit the course for the Pack men. Starting off with the 2003 individual ACC champion, senior Andy Smith will look to lead the Wolfpack in his final appearance at the meet. Smith is coming off of a third-place finish at the conference championships, which earned him a fourth all-conference selection. Sophomore Wesley Smith, Andy's younger brother, also notched all-conference honors for the second-straight year with an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championships. Wesley will look to follow up on his strong debut at the District III meet last season, in which he finished ninth overall. Sophomore Bobby Mack will also add to the mix for the Pack. Mack, who has had a phenomenal breakout season, collected All-ACC honors with a second-place finish at the conference meet. In addition, Mack finished fourth overall at the Great American Cross Country Championships on Oct. 1. Freshman Gavin Coombs will make his debut at the district meet this weekend. Coombs has already made a name for himself in his first season at NC State, obtaining all-conference and ACC Freshman of the Year honors with a 13th-place finish at the ACC Championships. Redshirt freshman Stephen Furst, who finished 32nd at the conference meet will also compete at the district meet for the first time. Redshirt sophomore Bryce Ruiz will make his second appearance at the race after finishing 26th at the conference championships. Ruiz, who was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2002, finished 110th at the District III Championships in 2002. Rounding out the men's lineup, junior John Henderson brings valuable experience into the fold for the district race. Henderson has had several strong finishes this year, including third-place at the Raleigh Invitational, fifth at the North Carolina Collegiate Championships and 21st at the ACC Championships.
On the women's side, experience will split time with new faces. Senior Josianne Lauber will run in her fourth and final District III meet. Lauber has a history of performing well at the meet, finishing 21st last season, sixth in 2002 and 15th in 2001. Junior Julia Lucas, on the heels of a all-conference rewarding fifth-place finish at the ACC meet, will also up the ante for the women's squad. In 2003, Lucas finished eighth in the race alongside fellow junior Kristina Roth who finished 18th overall. Roth will again compete for the Pack after earning All-ACC honors for the second time with a 14th-place finish at the conference meet. Erin Swain will also run on Saturday following strong performances at the ACC Championships and the Great American Cross Country Championships. The senior from Fairfax Station, Va. will add further depth to an overwhelming strong lineup. In addition, junior Ginger Wheeler, who came in second at the Raleigh Invitational, will compete in the field. Two freshmen, Angelina Blackmon and Magin Kebert, will join the team for their first taste of district championship competition. Blackmon finished 23rd at the conference meet, while Kebert came in 17th overall.
At the conclusion of Saturday's meet, coach Geiger and company will return to Raleigh and continue practicing for the NCAA Championships. That meet, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 22, will take place in Terre Haute, Ind.
