Saturday, November 21
Louisville,Ky.
12:00 p.m.
NC State
vs
NCAA National Championships
Balanced Pack Ready for NCAAs
11/20/2015 4:53:00 PM | Cross Country
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LOUISVILLE, Ken. - After a second-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the NC State women's cross country team clinched its NCAA-record 32nd championships appearance.
At regionals, the team had its third different runner lead the team, and its fourth different top-five of the season. Ahead of nationals, the team has a full lineup capable of leading the team.
The race is slated to start at 12 p.m. Saturday at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ken. The Wolfpack will face off against 30 other teams as well as individual qualifiers.
"We are really excited, said junior Erika Kemp. "Anyone can score on any day. We are in a good place to nail it and do some good things as a team tomorrow."
The team's depth has developed as the year has gone on. Underclassmen have seized their opportunities in training and at races, while the upperclassmen have provided the Pack with consistency.
Underclassmen like Ryen Frazier, Rachel Koon, and Alyssa Rudawsky have all developed throughout the year.
Frazier opened her collegiate career with wins at the adidas XC Challenge and the Notre Dame Invite, and at ACCs she led the team to a second-place finish. Overall, the Raleigh, N.C., native has scored in every meet of the year for the Pack.
Koon and Rudwsky have both made improvements throughout the season. Koon finished as the team's fifth runner at Wisconsin, but made a big jump during the championships season. Koon has finished second on the team at the conference championships and led the team at regionals.
Rudawsky has also made vast improvements throughout the season. The redshirt sophomore raced in open races at Notre Dame and Wisconsin before climbing up the team standings to finish as the Pack's seventh runner at the ACC Championships and fifth runner at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
"It is really exciting," said Koon. "I didn't expect this going into the season. I had goals and dreams to do it, but I'm just really glad everything came together for me. A lot of credit goes to the program itself and being coached by great coaches like Coach Henes and Coach Geiger."
In addition to the development of younger runners, the team has seen consistency from several upperclassmen on the squad.
Kemp and Megan Moye have scored in every race they have competed in this year. Both earned All-Region honors, and finished in the top 15. Kemp and Moye both have experience racing at the NCAA Championships, as they helped lead the team to a 16th-place finish in 2014.
Throughout the season, Samantha George and Kaitlyn Kramer have both stepped up as needed. George was second on the team at Notre Dame and led the team at Wisconsin.
Kramer has also been a huge boost for the team throughout the season. Kramer opened the year as the team's fourth scorer at the adidas XC Challenge. At the ACC Championships, she earned her first All-ACC honor after a strong race, finishing third on the team and 18th overall.
From veterans to freshman, the team is loaded with capable runners that can score for the team. With a full squad the Wolfpack women have the chance to have a special finish tomorrow.
"Staying calm and enjoying the moment helps a lot," said Kemp. ""There are a lot of things we can do as a team, and the girls are looking to do well tomorrow.
"The podium would be great," added Koon. "We haven't quite had a day where everyone has been on. If we can do it tomorrow, that would be great. Individually, its just an opportunity. I'm going to go out there and do my best."
Social Media: Periscope | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Meet Information: Fan Guide | Meet Central
LOUISVILLE, Ken. - After a second-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the NC State women's cross country team clinched its NCAA-record 32nd championships appearance.
At regionals, the team had its third different runner lead the team, and its fourth different top-five of the season. Ahead of nationals, the team has a full lineup capable of leading the team.
The race is slated to start at 12 p.m. Saturday at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ken. The Wolfpack will face off against 30 other teams as well as individual qualifiers.
"We are really excited, said junior Erika Kemp. "Anyone can score on any day. We are in a good place to nail it and do some good things as a team tomorrow."
The team's depth has developed as the year has gone on. Underclassmen have seized their opportunities in training and at races, while the upperclassmen have provided the Pack with consistency.
Underclassmen like Ryen Frazier, Rachel Koon, and Alyssa Rudawsky have all developed throughout the year.
Frazier opened her collegiate career with wins at the adidas XC Challenge and the Notre Dame Invite, and at ACCs she led the team to a second-place finish. Overall, the Raleigh, N.C., native has scored in every meet of the year for the Pack.
Koon and Rudwsky have both made improvements throughout the season. Koon finished as the team's fifth runner at Wisconsin, but made a big jump during the championships season. Koon has finished second on the team at the conference championships and led the team at regionals.
Rudawsky has also made vast improvements throughout the season. The redshirt sophomore raced in open races at Notre Dame and Wisconsin before climbing up the team standings to finish as the Pack's seventh runner at the ACC Championships and fifth runner at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
"It is really exciting," said Koon. "I didn't expect this going into the season. I had goals and dreams to do it, but I'm just really glad everything came together for me. A lot of credit goes to the program itself and being coached by great coaches like Coach Henes and Coach Geiger."
In addition to the development of younger runners, the team has seen consistency from several upperclassmen on the squad.
Kemp and Megan Moye have scored in every race they have competed in this year. Both earned All-Region honors, and finished in the top 15. Kemp and Moye both have experience racing at the NCAA Championships, as they helped lead the team to a 16th-place finish in 2014.
Throughout the season, Samantha George and Kaitlyn Kramer have both stepped up as needed. George was second on the team at Notre Dame and led the team at Wisconsin.
Kramer has also been a huge boost for the team throughout the season. Kramer opened the year as the team's fourth scorer at the adidas XC Challenge. At the ACC Championships, she earned her first All-ACC honor after a strong race, finishing third on the team and 18th overall.
From veterans to freshman, the team is loaded with capable runners that can score for the team. With a full squad the Wolfpack women have the chance to have a special finish tomorrow.
"Staying calm and enjoying the moment helps a lot," said Kemp. ""There are a lot of things we can do as a team, and the girls are looking to do well tomorrow.
"The podium would be great," added Koon. "We haven't quite had a day where everyone has been on. If we can do it tomorrow, that would be great. Individually, its just an opportunity. I'm going to go out there and do my best."
Players Mentioned
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