North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Cross Country To Open Season Friday
9/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
RALEIGH, N.C. - After lining up five fifth-year seniors, two redshirt-juniors and a redshirt-sophomore a year ago, NC State cross country coach Rollie Geiger finds himself with a very different looking team in 2009.
Holdovers Gavin Coombs, Fredy Torres and John Martinez give the Wolfpack an experienced and talented trio to build around, but the remainder of the starting lineup figures to be composed entirely of freshmen. To understand just what a significant departure this is in NC State men’s cross country, the last freshman to start for Geiger was Coombs, a fifth-year senior who was the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year. The last time Geiger started multiple-freshmen was 2003, when Wesley Smith and Bobby Mack were both in the starting group.
Like any coach, Geiger would love to line up five seniors every year, but he is undaunted at starting a lineup dominated by newcomers.
“I strongly believe you can win with freshmen,” Geiger says. “Other sports do it, and I think these are talented athletes.”
Geiger will begin to find out just how talented his team is, freshmen and all, on Friday when the Wolfpack lines up for the season-opening Wolfpack Invitational, at the Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary. The men’s college race is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The women’s race will follow shortly after the completion of the men’s race.
The Wolfpack will be competing in a field that also includes Barton College, East Carolina, Francis Marion, Gardner-Webb, Greensboro College, High Point, Louisburg College, Methodist, Mt. Olive, Shaw, St. Augustine's, St. Paul's, Virginia Wesleyan, Warren Wilson College, and Winston Salem State.
Saturday will be devoted to a full slate of high school races.
Despite the relative rarity of starting so many freshmen, Geiger is quick to note first the quality of this team’s nucleus of upperclassmen. A three-time All-ACC performer, Coombs could become only the 12th NC State cross country runner, and only the sixth male runner, ever to earn all-conference honors four times. Torres is a fifth-year senior and a former all-region performer. Martinez, a redshirt-junior, was all-conference and all-region a year ago in his first year as a starter. And the only reason he didn’t start as a freshman two years ago was the incredible depth in the program at the time.
“Gavin, Fredy and J-Mart, that’s a nice trio to start with,” Geiger says. “Between all-confernce and all-regional, they have a great deal of experience. “
As for the freshmen, they are not exactly lacking in credentials. Redshirt-freshman Bobby Moldovan made the United States World Junior Cross Country team last spring, and was a Foot Locker regional finalist as a senior in high school. Moldovan has been in the program for a year and Geiger considers him part of the team’s nucleus despite his lack of varsity experience.
Two of the Wolfpack’s true freshmen, in-state recruits Patrick Campbell and Ryan Hill, were Foot Locker All-Americans as high school seniors. Then there is a group of redshirt-freshmen who are squarely in the starting mix, a group that includes Andrew North, Greg Dame and Geoff King.
“Take Bobby, Andrew, Greg, Ryan and Patrick, there’s five,” Geiger says. “That’s five freshmen, redshirt or no redshirt. Geoff King has been out with an achilles injury, but he’s someone else I really think can help us. That would make six freshmen in the mix.”
NC State cross country has three goals every year, and those goals remain the same from year to year, whether the program is dominated by seniors or freshmen. First is win the ACC championship. NC State has won 10 of the last 13 conference championships, and 14 overall. Second is to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team. The Wolfpack has missed qualifying for nationals just twice since 1991. Third is a top 10 national finish. The Pack has achieved this nine times in the last 24 years.
Geiger does not hesitate when asked if those goals are realistic for this group.
“Absolutely,” he said. “The goals don’t change, and this team is very capable of achieving all three. I’m really pleased with the progress that I’ve seen. Gavin, Fredy and John have taken on the challenge of being leaders. Last year there were those five fifth-year seniors. So it’s a nice mix. I really think this is a good cross country team.”
Holdovers Gavin Coombs, Fredy Torres and John Martinez give the Wolfpack an experienced and talented trio to build around, but the remainder of the starting lineup figures to be composed entirely of freshmen. To understand just what a significant departure this is in NC State men’s cross country, the last freshman to start for Geiger was Coombs, a fifth-year senior who was the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year. The last time Geiger started multiple-freshmen was 2003, when Wesley Smith and Bobby Mack were both in the starting group.
Like any coach, Geiger would love to line up five seniors every year, but he is undaunted at starting a lineup dominated by newcomers.
“I strongly believe you can win with freshmen,” Geiger says. “Other sports do it, and I think these are talented athletes.”
Geiger will begin to find out just how talented his team is, freshmen and all, on Friday when the Wolfpack lines up for the season-opening Wolfpack Invitational, at the Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary. The men’s college race is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The women’s race will follow shortly after the completion of the men’s race.
The Wolfpack will be competing in a field that also includes Barton College, East Carolina, Francis Marion, Gardner-Webb, Greensboro College, High Point, Louisburg College, Methodist, Mt. Olive, Shaw, St. Augustine's, St. Paul's, Virginia Wesleyan, Warren Wilson College, and Winston Salem State.
Saturday will be devoted to a full slate of high school races.
Despite the relative rarity of starting so many freshmen, Geiger is quick to note first the quality of this team’s nucleus of upperclassmen. A three-time All-ACC performer, Coombs could become only the 12th NC State cross country runner, and only the sixth male runner, ever to earn all-conference honors four times. Torres is a fifth-year senior and a former all-region performer. Martinez, a redshirt-junior, was all-conference and all-region a year ago in his first year as a starter. And the only reason he didn’t start as a freshman two years ago was the incredible depth in the program at the time.
“Gavin, Fredy and J-Mart, that’s a nice trio to start with,” Geiger says. “Between all-confernce and all-regional, they have a great deal of experience. “
As for the freshmen, they are not exactly lacking in credentials. Redshirt-freshman Bobby Moldovan made the United States World Junior Cross Country team last spring, and was a Foot Locker regional finalist as a senior in high school. Moldovan has been in the program for a year and Geiger considers him part of the team’s nucleus despite his lack of varsity experience.
Two of the Wolfpack’s true freshmen, in-state recruits Patrick Campbell and Ryan Hill, were Foot Locker All-Americans as high school seniors. Then there is a group of redshirt-freshmen who are squarely in the starting mix, a group that includes Andrew North, Greg Dame and Geoff King.
“Take Bobby, Andrew, Greg, Ryan and Patrick, there’s five,” Geiger says. “That’s five freshmen, redshirt or no redshirt. Geoff King has been out with an achilles injury, but he’s someone else I really think can help us. That would make six freshmen in the mix.”
NC State cross country has three goals every year, and those goals remain the same from year to year, whether the program is dominated by seniors or freshmen. First is win the ACC championship. NC State has won 10 of the last 13 conference championships, and 14 overall. Second is to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team. The Wolfpack has missed qualifying for nationals just twice since 1991. Third is a top 10 national finish. The Pack has achieved this nine times in the last 24 years.
Geiger does not hesitate when asked if those goals are realistic for this group.
“Absolutely,” he said. “The goals don’t change, and this team is very capable of achieving all three. I’m really pleased with the progress that I’ve seen. Gavin, Fredy and John have taken on the challenge of being leaders. Last year there were those five fifth-year seniors. So it’s a nice mix. I really think this is a good cross country team.”
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