North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Wolfpack Women Look to Claim 21st ACC Title
10/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
BY TIM PEELER
But it’s been almost four years since the NC State women’s cross country team won an ACC Championship. Considering, however, that the Wolfpack has dominated that sport like no other, this year’s team has a sense of urgency to reclaim the title NC State has won 20 of the last 26 years.
However, the Wolfpack women’s last title was in 2002, when it shared the title with
The women, ranked second nationally in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, hope to change that Saturday when they compete in the 2006 ACC Championship at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. The women’s 6,000-meter race begins at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s 8,000-meter race at 11 a.m.
“The ACC is a very competitive conference,” said senior Julia Lucas, the Wolfpack’s top performer this year. “There are five ranked teams (in the Top 30). But I think we are deep enough, talented enough and motivated enough to win.
“We will be very disappointed with anything other than a first-place finish in the ACCs.”
Lucas, coming off an individual title two weekends ago at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in
She’s made an outstanding comeback after missing the 2005 season because of injuries she sustained in an August, 2005, house fire and a bout of low-iron in her blood.
An All-America performer in the 5,000 meters for the Wolfpack women’s track & field team, Lucas is ready for similar honors in cross country.
“Last year was difficult, to say the least,” Lucas said. “And the difference between this year and last year is enormous. But this year has been fantastic because of what I went through last year, because I survived that little incident and everything that happened the whole year.
“It really made me appreciate what I have now.”
She has also had some outstanding support: sophomore Brittany Tinsley and freshman Bona Jones have joined Lucas in the Top 11 of all three races the team has competed in this fall. They have gotten additional help from juniors Angelina Blackmon and Ann Wheatley, sophomore Amy Kelly and freshman Kara McKenna
And this weekend, the lineup will get an additional boost by the return of senior Jemissa Hess, the Wolfpack’s top runner at the ACC Championship last year when she third overall. She has missed the squad’s first three races following surgery to remove a small cyst from her toe in June.
Hess, who transferred into the program from
“Not that we needed an extra boost, but I am excited about having her back in the lineup,” Lucas said. “We have even more leadership.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s
Division I women’s cross country rankings
Oct. 17, 2006
(first-place votes in parenthesis, followed by vote totals)
1. Stanford (13) 390
2. NC State 376
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7. UC
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11. BYU 259
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16. Duke 185
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29. Virginia Tech 34
30. Baylor 23
Also receiving votes:
