North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Primed for ACC Championships
5/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The NC State track and field team opens post-season competition at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships from Thursday through Saturday at Mike Long Track in Tallahassee, Fla.
Wolfpack in Competition:
Overall, 42 Wolfpack athletes will represent NC State at the conference championships, competing in 32 different events over the weekend. NC State's best will be in competition at the meet. Stay turned to GoPack for a full feature on NC State entries.
Scouting the Competition:
Eight teams from the ACC enter the weekend ranked in the USTFCCCA top-25 poll. On the men's side No. 13 Virginia leads the conference, while No. 15 Florida State and No. 19 Syracuse round out the rankings. On the women's side Florida State checks in at 15th, while Clemson is ranked 17th. No. 21 Virginia Tech, No. 23 Notre Dame and No. 24 UNC-CH round out the rankings.
The field is loaded with nationally-ranked individuals, who hold some of the nation's best marks. At least one representative from the conference holds a national top-10 mark in 27 events.
Regional Marks:
While the Pack is mainly competing for points at the ACC Championships, regional qualifying marks are on the line. The Wolfpack currently has 24 marks ranked above the top-48, which is the cutoff to send athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary. Last year, 17 student-athletes qualified for the regional competition. This weekend's meet is the final opportunity for athletes to earn a regional mark.
Due to the changing nature of the national standings, no place is guaranteed until all qualifying meets are concluded. This meet serves as another opportunity for the Wolfpack to earn regional marks and retain their places in the standings.
Last Time at the ACC Championships:
At the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships, the women's team finished in sixth, while the men finished in a tie for ninth. Jonathan Addison led the men's team with 23 points, and Alexis Perry tallied 13 points for the women's team.
During the 2014 ACC Outdoor Championships in Chapel Hill, N.C., the Pack took 10th on the men's side and fifth in the women's competition.
Meet Information:
The meet will be streamed on ESPN3 from 7-9:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, ESPN3 will carry the event from 6-9 p.m. Olympic Gold medalist Dan O'Brien is the analyst for the competition.
