North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Track & Field Ready For Gene Anderson Invitational
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
On Friday, Jan. 9, NC State will open the indoor portion of its season in Chapel Hill, N.C., at the Gene Anderson Invitational. The first event is slated to begin at 5 p.m. at the Eddie Smith Field House. Along with host UNC, the Wolfpack will compete against athletes from Hampton, Bethune-Cookman and Methodist.
Friday’s meet will feature over 30 Wolfpack student-athletes competing in a variety of track and field events. Highlighting the competition for the Pack includes several of the Pack’s nationally ranked athletes and talented freshmen.
“Every athlete is coming back after two weeks off for Christmas break, so it is difficult to have a pulse of the program in a sense of where they are at in their training.
“I thought it was important to put this meet on the schedule, because it is an opportunity to get out of the weather and compete at an indoor facility. It is a chance to get involved in competition and get a read on where the athletes are at so we can continue preparing for the conference championships.” –Rollie Gieger, head coach
Scouting the Competition
The Pack will face a mixture of competition at the meet. The UNC-Chapel Hill women’s track and field team is currently ranked 25th in the latest USTFCCCA poll. The Tar Heels have multiple athletes ranked in the top 15 among various events, while Hampton and Bethune Cookman also have ranked athletes competing in various events.
Grant Rivers made his collegiate debut on Dec. 4, 2014 at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational. He finished second in the men’s heptathlon and earned eight top-three finishes.
The throwers also had an impressive showing in Lynchburg, Va. On the women’s side SeQuoia Watkins earned a pair of third place finishes in the shot put and weight throw, while Nicole Chavis won the women’s weight throw with a throw that traveled 63’7”.
On the men’s side, Jule Rich had a pair of top-three finishes including a first-place finish in the men’s weight throw.
The Wolfpack Report
Field Events - Women
Nicole Chavis, Alyssa Dunn and SeQuoia Watkins will compete in the women’s weight throw while Dunn and Watkins will also throw in the shot put. Chavis is looking for her third first-place finish in as many attempts.
The underclassmen trio of Javonne Antoine, Amara Bell and Imari McLean will compete in the long jump for the Wolfpack.
Field Events – Men
Joshua Davis, Jule Rich, Grant Rivers and David Rocker will feature for the Pack in the men’s throw events. Davis, Rich and Rocker will compete in the weight throw. Rich is also set to compete in the shot put.
Multi-event specialist Rivers will perform in four field events on the meet: shot put, pole vault, long jump and high jump.
Track Events - Women
The Wolfpack women’s sprints and hurdles group will feature six different athletes, highlighted by Alexis Perry competing in the 60m and 60m hurdles and Paisley Simmons in the 60m and 200m. Freshmen Dejah Arnold and Imari McLean will also run in the 60m, and sophomore Tiana Patillo will run in the 60m and 200m.
In mid-distance events Erin Foshee, Alyssa Rudawsky and Lauren Velasco will compete in the mile, while Amber Whitley will compete in the 800m.
Track Events – Men
The men’s 200m race will have a host of NC State athletes, as Jonathan Addison, Cameron Cooper, Acey Calhoun, Quashawn Cunningham, Brian Davis, Josh Gandy, Shannon Patterson and Dorian Williams are all set to run in the 200m. This mix of NC State athletes features a diverse group ranging from talented freshmen to experienced upperclassmen.
Sophomores Erin Jenkins and Will Krehnbrink along with freshman Abdur Rahmaan Kelly will compete in the 400m race, while freshman Jon Knight and sophomore Clay Jones will run in the mile.
In addition to his field events, Rivers will compete in the 60m hurdles and the 3000m.
