Wolfpack To Compete at NCAA Championships

Wednesday, June 8

Eugene, Ore.

All Day

NC State

NCAA Outdoor Championships

6/7/2016 12:00:00 PM | Track

Schedule   |    USTFCCCA Championship Central   |   Watch Live

Start Lists   |   Live Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State track and field is set for the pinnacle of its NCAA season, as it travels to Eugene Ore., for the NCAA Championships June 8-11 at Hayward Field.

The Pack qualified five in individual events and a 4x100 relay team. Jonathan Addison (long jump, 4x100) and Alexis Perry (long jump, 100m hurdles) headline the group as returnees to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Luis Vargas and Sam Parsons will make their first appearance at Hayward Field in the 10,000m. Nyheim Hines, Shannon Patterson and Quashawn Cunningham will join Addison in the 4x100. All three are underclassmen making their first NCAA Championships appearance.

4x100:
The Wolfpack 4x100 team has scorched through the season, setting numerous achievements along the path to Eugene. The duo opened the year at the Virginia Challenge, setting a meet record and a then national top-10 mark with the win in 39.42.

The group reassembled for the ACC Championships, where it dominated the conference, winning its first ACC relay title in 27 years and ending Florida State's streak of seven-straight 4x100 conference titles.

At the NCAA East Preliminary, the squad rattled off another dominating win, this time taking down SEC foes Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky in their heat. The Pack posted a 39.24 to improve on its season best a move within .17 of the school record.

The relay team joins an illustrious list of Wolfpack 4x100 teams to advance to the NCAA Championships, including the 1985 NCAA 4x100 Champions.

Hines, Addison, Patterson and Cunningham enter with their undefeated head-to-record and the fourth overall seed. The Pack begins the meet with the semifinals Wednesday at 7:32 p.m.

Long Jump:
The 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships mark the fifth national meet in a row that NC State has qualified an athlete in the long jump and the second time in the last two years that the Pack is sending two long jumpers to compete.

Jonathan Addison, the 2016 indoor runner up enters tied for the top seed in the men's long jump with a mark of 26'0.00" and will compete Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Addison has collected almost every conference regional and national award possible and is aiming to cap off his NCAA career with a national title. The Raleigh, N.C., native has jumped a personal best, indoor school record and USATF Olympic Trials qualifying mark of 26'9.75".

On the women's side, Alexis Perry is making her second straight trip to Eugene. Perry previously made an appearance at the 2015 Outdoors in the 100m hurdles. She has also advanced to national in the long jump once before, making an appearance at the 2015 indoor nationals.

This season, the Durham, N.C., native improved on her school record and earned a USATF Olympic Trials mark with a leap of 21'6.75" at the Virginia Challenge.

Perry finished third at the ACC championships and took fifth at the NCAA East Preliminary and enters as the eight seed. She will jump Thursday night at 9 p.m.

10,000m:
NC State will conclude Wednesday night with the 10,000m at 10:08 p.m. The Pack will have both Luis Vargas and Sam Parsons in contention for the 24-man race.

Vargas advanced to the NCAA Championships during indoor season. He is a two-time First-Time All-American (3,000m and 5,000m indoor track) and a two-time ACC silver medalist. (5,000m and 10,000m outdoor track). Vargas will aim for a strong finish to a breakout final year.

Entering the race, Vargas is a 16 seed seed with a time of 30:03.74. He advanced to the finals after finishing fourth in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary.

Sam Parsons, NC State's top cross country runner the last two seasons enters his first full track season. Parsons opened the outdoor season with a strong race at the Raleigh Relays to earn his regional mark.

In the postseason, he scored for the team in the 5,000m at ACCs and earned the 11th spot in the 10,000m from the NCAA East Preliminary to book his spot in Eugene.

He enters the final race of the season as the 23 seed with a time of 30:05.60.

100m hurdles:
Perry will have a busy weekend, as she is also set to compete in Thursday's 100m hurdle semifinals. Perry enters as the fourth seed in the event with a time of 12.90. She will race Thursday at 8:32 p.m.

Perry has posted a phenomenal senior year in the hurdles, shredding .24 off her personal best and moving within .09 of the school record. She took silver at the ACC Championships and earned the USATF Olympic Trials mark in the event with a time of 12.97.

At regionals she better the mark, dipping under 13 seconds for the third time, clearing the hurdles in 12.90.

Watch Live:
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be streamed on ESPN's family of networks, appearing on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.

Date                Time (ET)                  Network
Wed., June 8 7:30– 8:30 p.m.         ESPNU or ESPN2*
                       8:30-11 p.m.     ESPN2 or ESPN*
                       3:30-11:30 p.m. ESPN3
Thu., June 9   7:30– 8p.m. ESPNU
                       8–10:30 p.m.             ESPN
                       1:30-11:30 p.m. ESPN3
Fri., June 10   8:30 – 11 p.m. ESPN
                       3:30-11 p.m.              ESPN3
Sat., June 11 6:30 – 9 p.m. ESPN
                       2:30-9 p.m. ESPN3

*Network determination dependent on Women's College World Series potential Game 3.