North Carolina State University Athletics
Athletes to Watch at the ACC Championships: Thursday
5/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- With the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships just a day away, the NC State track and field team is poised for a strong opening day. GoPack.com breaks down the Wolfpack's seed times and season accomplishments in each event.
Hammer Throw:
The throwers will open the competition in the hammer throw at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Joshua Davis enters as the highest-seeded athlete on the men's side, checking in at No. 10. Davis has progressed as the season has moved along, nearing the 200' mark in the event. His latest throw at the Duke Twilight traveled 198'3.00".
Jule Rich and David Rocker are also competing in the event. Rich holds the 16th seed, while Rocker is the 21st seed going into the competition.
On the women's side, Nicole Chavis leads the women's throwers in the hammer throw. Chavis has the conference's 10th-best mark, while SeQuoia Watkins and Alyssa Dunn also hold top-15 seeds.
Both Chavis and Watkins qualified for the championships in the event at the beginning of the season. The two have turned in consistent performances all season. Dunn has progressed steadily throughout the season and posted her best mark during the Pack's final regular-season meet.
Long Jump:
The long jump is the final field event of the day. Both Alexis Perry and Jonathan Addison have the second-best seeds in their respective divisions, reaching their season-best marks at the Duke Twilight. In addition to holding the second seeds in the conference, Perry's mark is eighth in the region and 10th in the nation, while Addison`s mark is ranked 17th in the region and 33rd in national standings.
Perry is looking to defend her indoor season long jump ACC gold medal, while Addison is aiming to improve on his silver-medal performance at the ACC Indoor Championships. Both also earned second team All-America honors in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Decathlon:
Grant Rivers will begin the first leg of the decathlon on Thursday. The redshirt freshman opens as the 10th seed at 6,053 points. Rivers will compete in the 100m dash, long jump, shot put and 400m run on Thursday.
400m Hurdles:
On the track, Erin Jenkins will open competition for the Wolfpack in the preliminaries of the 400m hurdles, entering the event with the ninth-best seed at 53.15. The junior has improved by almost a second since his first attempt of the season.
200m:
In sprints, Paisley Simmons enters the competition with the third-best seed. Simmons has progressively improved over the course of the season, shaving 1.52 seconds off her first attempt. The sophomore posted her best mark of 23.43 in the final meet of the season at the Duke Twilight.
1,500m:
In mid-distance, Samantha George, Erika Kemp, Megan Rempel and Megan Moye will all race in the 1,500m preliminaries for the women. On the men side, Graham Crawford, Sebastian Hanson, Nick Link and John Wolfe will all run for the Wolfpack.
George enters the women's race with the sixth-seeded time. George and Moye hold regional marks in the event, while Rempel can secure a regional mark with a strong performance.
Crawford headlines the men's side, checking in with the second-best mark in the ACC. Crawford reached the mark during the Payton Jordan Invitational, crossing the finish line in 3:40.67 for sixth place in the second heat.
10,000m:
Joanna Thompson and Sam Roberson will run in the 10,000m to conclude action on Thursday night.
Thompson is an All-American in the event and is competing in the final conference championships of her collegiate career. She currently holds the ninth-best mark in the country and the second-best mark in the ACC. Her mark of 33:07.27 is less than one minute from the top mark in the competition.
Roberson has not raced in the 10,000m race this season, but holds a personal-best mark of 30:16.00 in the event.
Stay tuned for Thursday's results and a preview of Friday's events.
