North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Cross Country Fueled by Buckeye Pipeline
9/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 24, 2004
Raleigh, N.C. - Arguably the most successful sport at NC State, Wolfpack cross country has established itself as one of the most successful programs in the NCAA. In 22 years, Coach Rollie Geiger has led the Pack to 28 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles, 18 individual conference champions, 133 All-ACC citations, 45 All-America certificates and 20 top-10 finishes nationally. During that time NC State has completely dominated the ACC, winning both men's and women's titles eight times in the same year, a feat no other school in the conference has accomplished even once.
"The goals always are, and continue to be for both programs, win the conference championship, qualify for the NCAA Championships from the regionals, and finish in the top 10 at the NCAA meet," Geiger said.
In order to obtain these goals, the cross country staff has dedicated itself to recruiting the nation's top runners. In the meantime, Geiger has become recognized as one of the top recruiters in all of college sports. Scouring talent from all over the country, this season the cross country program boasts student-athletes from more than 15 states. Although Geiger has collected talent from all over the country, one state has consistently produced top runners for the program; Geiger's native Ohio.
Hailing from Bedford, Geiger has long been aware of the talent available in his home state. Assistant coach Laurie Henes, of Youngstown, Ohio, collected the 1991 ACC women's championship and was a four-time All-ACC honoree, along with her two All-America honors.
The Ohio connection doesn't begin or end with the coaching staff. Geiger's Buckeye state recruits have collected 11 All-America certificates and produced three ACC individual champions. Equally impressive, five Ohioans from NC State were named to the illustrious ACC 50th Anniversary Team. Three-time All-American and Cincinnati native Connie Jo Robinson was a top runner for the women's program from 1982-85. Bob Henes of Cuyahoga Falls was All-ACC in 1987, '89 and '90, finishing first for the Wolfpack in the conference finals during each of those years. Henes' incredible performance earned him three All-America nods. Another Cuyahoga Falls native, Katie Sabino, was named the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year in North Carolina. During her time with the cross country program, Sabino was a two-time All-American and was named to the all-conference list during all four years. Other prominent Ohio runners in Wolfpack cross country history include Andy Herr (Berea), Ann Henderson (Brexville), Patty Metzler (Poland), Monica McHenry (Pepper Pike) and Valerie Ford (Walton Hills).
This season the Wolfpack features six Ohio natives on the cross country roster, including Hudson native and returning ACC men's individual champion Andy Smith. Last year Smith became the Pack's eighth individual conference champion with a first place finish at the conference finals. It was his third all-conference performance in cross country, to go along with an All-America honor as a freshman in 2000. Smith's younger brother Wesley joined the team last year and made an immediate impact on the squad, earning All-ACC honors for his 10th-place finish at the conference meet. Highly touted recruit Chris Kollar will add to the mix this season as he begins action after redshirting last year. The Strongsville native holds the Division I state record for the 3200-meters in Ohio and was an All-American in the mile at the 2002 Adidas Outdoor Championships. Jesse Rhodenbaugh (Oxford) and Matt Kassouf (Hudson) round out the remaining Ohio natives on the men's roster.
"Coach Geiger recruits Ohio pretty hard," said Wesley Smith. "Being from Ohio, he knows the area very well and that helps out a lot when picking up kids. When choosing a college, I knew that I wanted to go out of state and since my brother was already at NC State I knew what they had to offer. It was a pretty easy choice for me to make."
On the women's side, Kristina Roth of Celina serves as the lone Ohio native. Roth earned All-ACC honors as a freshman in 2002, placing ninth in the conference. Last season, Roth performed best at the NCAA Championships, where she finished 86th. Also a standout for Geiger's track squad, Roth qualified for the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase.
"A lot of schools were recruiting me, but I only visited Michigan State and NC State," Roth said. "I knew that NC State was a very respected college, in both academics and athletics, and that really played a major role in choosing to come here. I wanted to play for a winning team and the combination of academics and athletics here was just to much to pass up.
"When I arrived at State Katie Sabino was still on the team and she's from Ohio and that played a big part in my picking NC State because she was an All-American and very accomplished in track and cross country. I really liked the fact that coming out of high school she wasn't a huge standout prospect and when she came to NC State it was obvious how much she had learned and improved from working with the staff here."
Last season the Wolfpack men captured their third consecutive ACC title, while the women placed second. At the NCAA Championships, both squads achieved their goal of finishing in the top 10. This year the ACC should continue to be one of the nation's deepest conferences, and the addition of Virginia Tech and Miami will only add to the competitiveness of the league.
"This year is going to be a challenge because we don't have the depth and experience that we have had over the past few years on either side of the program," stated Geiger. "But that certainly doesn't mean we can't be just as competitive as we have been year-in and year-out. As far as I'm concerned, nothing is changing. This is still NC State cross country, and we are going to continue to work hard and make our presence felt."
With strong freshman classes and returning talent, the Pack is sure to continue making waves in the ACC this season. As long as Geiger remains the architect of the program, the Wolfpack will continue to reload year in and year out with a bevy of the nation's top talent. If fellow Ohioans can help Geiger place the Wolfpack at the top, then that's fine by him.
