North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Track Heads Back to Virginia Tech This Weekend
1/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Track
Jan. 19, 2012
2012 men's performance list 
| 2012 women's performance list | Live results
RALEIGH, N.C. – Success came fast and often for NC State freshman Kenyetta Iyevbele at the end of last year’s outdoor track and field season.
Even though she did not qualify for the finals in the 800 meters at the ACC Outdoor Championships, the young runner from Charlotte went on a tear in June and July, earning her qualifying mark for the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries in a last-chance twilight meet, advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a top-10 finish at the regional prelims, then setting a school record in the NCAA semifinals (2:04.83).
From there, Iyevbele finished seventh in the finals to earn first-team All-American honors, the Wolfpack women’s first true freshman All-American since 1998 and the first NC State runner, male or female, to win All-America honors in that event.
She capped off an amazing debut by winning the the 800 meters at the USA Outdoor Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and the Pan Am Junior Championships in Miramar, Fla.
It was an astounding introduction to college competition for Iyevbele, who had little experience winning in her first indoor season and throughout much of her first outdoor season.
“It was definitely overwhelming,” Iyevbele said. “But a good overwhelming.”
This weekend, Iyevbele will make her 2012 indoor debut when the Wolfpack women and the No. 24 NC State men travel to Blacksburg, Va., for the second consecutive weekend, this time to participate in the Hokie Invitational at Rector Field House. Iyevbele will run in the 1,000 meters and the 4X400 relay.
“Considering where I was at this time last year, I feel very confident, very strong and very experienced,” she said. “I don’t think I was any of those things last year.”
She ran in four indoor events last season, with her best finish being fourth in the 1,000 meters at the Hokie Invitational. In the other three events, she ran the mile, with a top finish of sixth at the Virginia Tech Elite.
She eventually found her stride during the outdoor season and kicked into a higher gear following the ACC Outdoor Championships.
“I’m obviously not going to start where I ended last season, but I’m going to try to get back there as quickly as I can,” said Iyevbele, who competed with the Wolfpack women’s cross country team in the fall. “I’m going to press myself to compete at the highest level.
“I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been. I want to do a lot better during this indoor season and reach even higher goals.”
The Wolfpack will send a larger lineup to its third indoor meet of the season, after sending a limited number of participants to the Christopher Newport Invitational in December and to the Virginia Tech Invitational last weekend. A total of 26 women will participate and 18 men. Live results will be available throughout the two-day meet here.
Iyevbele is one of five Wolfpack women athletes competing this weekend who qualified for the NCAA outdoor prelims last years. The others are Tiayonna Blackmon, Erin Mercer, Daniel Adams and Karimah Shepherd.
The Wolfpack men are coming off strong season-opening performances from jumpers Rueben Malone and Kwame Boatwright. Malone, a true freshman from Lillington, N.C., won the triple jump in his first collegiate event, posting a leap of 50-feet, 11-inches to outdistance Boatwright.
Both the men’s and women’s throwers also performed well last weekend, led by multiple All-ACC performer and former champion Lawanda Henry and redshirt Tremanisha Taylor for the women and Nathaniel Williams and Grant Pearce for the men.
