North Carolina State University Athletics
Athletes to Watch at #ACCOTF: Saturday
5/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The preliminary heats are over, and NC State has advanced several athletes to the finals. The Wolfpack is aiming to earn points and move up the team standings in Saturday's competition. GoPack breaks down State's entries on the final day of the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Discus:
The Pack's trio of All-American throwers is back in action as a unit. The group holds top-10 seeds, and is ranked among the top-48 in the east region.
SeQuoia Watkins leads the trio, checking in with the third seed (172'7.00"), while Tremanisha Taylor is fourth (169'10.00") and Nicole Chavis enters the competition as the sixth seed (161'6.00"). All three are in a position to score points and make the discus a valuable event for the Wolfpack.
On the men's side, Jule Rich is aiming to improve his overall mark in the discus. He currently sits just four spots from a regional mark. A big throw on Saturday could send Rich to Jacksonville, Fla. for the NCAA East Preliminary.
Triple Jump:
Javonne Antoine and Amara Bell will represent the Pack in the triple jump. Antoine is off to an impressive start to her colligate career. The freshman finished in eighth during the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships, earning a point for the women's team. Antoine is currently the 10th seed in the competition. If she beats her current season high of 40'6.25", she could advance to the regional.
Hurdles:
In track action, Alexis Perry dominated her heat to secure a spot in the finals. She hold's the event's second-best seed time at 13.17, which is ranked 11th in the region and 17th in the nation.
Perry has had a lot of success at the ACC Championships during her career with the Wolfpack. At the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships, she took fifth in the 60m hurdles to earn second-team All-ACC honors. During her sophomore year, Perry earned first-team All-ACC honors in the 60m hurdles and the 100m hurdles.
She is also a star in the long jump. Perry has medaled in the event in four-straight conference championships.
Relays:
The men's 4x100 team of Shannon Patterson, Jonathan Addison, Acey Calhoun and Quashawn Cunningham enter the competition as NC State's highest-seeded relay team. The group's mark of 40.72 ranks third in the conference.
The women's 4x100 team of Perry, Tiana Patillo, J'den Williams and Paisley Simmons are the 10th seed with a time of 46.02. Since the start of the season, they have shaved .7 seconds off their time in the event.
In the 4x400, Calhoun, Abdur Rahmaan Kelly, Patterson and Will Krehnbrink hold the 10th seed (3:12.60).
The women are debuting a new 4x400 team. Patillo, Kenyetta Iyevbele, Megan Moye and Simmons will team up to run in the relay for the first time. The 4x400 relay will be Simmons' fourth event of the day.
1,500:
Graham Crawford, Samantha George and Megan Rempel all finished with top-two marks in their respective heats to advance to the finals of the 1,500m run.
Crawford holds the second seed in the conference with a mark of 3:40.67. His race is loaded with the conference's best mid-distance runners, as 11 of the 12 participants hold top-15 ACC marks and six runners have top-20 regional marks.
On the women's side, George holds the conference's sixth-best mark in the competition. Her time of 4:16.46 set a new school record earlier this year at the Virginia Challenge. She is joined by fellow Wolfpacker Rempel, who advanced after taking second in her heat. Rempel holds the 15th seed with a time of 4:23.68.
800m:
Iyevbele took first in her heat and third overall, claiming a season-high mark in the 800m race with a time of 2:05.16. The senior's mark is ranked 12th in the region and 22nd in the nation.
The final is loaded with solid competition, as six of the eight athletes hold top-20 regional marks.
Sprints:
Simmons thundered down the track in the preliminary heat of the 200m dash to cross the finish line in 23.66. She enters the finals with the fourth-best time from the qualifying races. She also qualified for the finals in the 100m dash, taking first in her heat and third overall with a time of 11.68.
The sophomore is aiming to continue her success at the ACC Championships. As a freshman, Simmons earned All-ACC first -team honors in the 60m dash during indoor season, and won the same accolade for her performance in the 200m dash during the outdoor season. She also earned top-six finishes in the 60m and 200m dashes to earn two second-team All-ACC honors during the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships.
On the men's side, Addison booked his spot in the finals of the 100m dash after coming in fifth during the qualifying heats with a mark of 10.63. He is currently ranked 42nd in the East and can further secure a third regional qualifying mark with a strong performance.
5,000:
Erika Kemp and Kaitlyn Kramer will run in the 5,000m run on Saturday. Kemp and Kramer both hold top-15 seed times in the event. Kemp is ranked 12th in the East region with a time of 15:57.84, and Kramer could move up the standings with a season-high mark to earn a trip to Jacksonville.
During indoor season, Kemp placed third in the 3,000m to earn first team All-ACC honors.
On the men's side, Jacob Thomson and Sebastian Hanson will run in the event. Thomson holds the fifth-best seed time of 13:52.71.
Hanson is on the edge of a regional qualifying mark, sitting at 56th. A season-high time could send him to the regional competition.
