NC State Wolfpack

NC State junior Kris Kornegay-Gober of Washington, D.C., broke the second-longest standing mark in the meet record book by winning the high jump, while the distance medley relay team, anchored by junior All-American Ryan Hill, shattered the meet record the Wolfpack set last year.

The two victories and a strong finish in the men's weight throw put State's men tied with Virginia in second place in the team competition, Virginia Tech's 40.50 points. The Wolfpack women, which got All-ACC performances by junior Karimah Shepherd in the long jump and redshirt freshman Laura Hoer in the 5,000 meters, finished the first day in eighth place with 22 points.

"It was a big day for us all the way around," said NC State head coach Rollie Geiger. "Getting two wins is big for the men, but to set the ACC Championship meet records too makes it even bigger."

The DMR team broke the school record set in 1998 with its time of 9:40.05. Hill is the only returning member from last year's DMR squad that set the previous mark of 9:43.31.

ACC Men's Indoor Championship Team Results Day 1  1. Virginia Tech 40.50 T2. NC State        37 T2. Virginia        37 4. Duke             26 5. Florida State   24 6. North Carolina 23.50 7. Maryland        16 8. Clemson        15 9. Miami             6 10. Wake Forest  5 11. Georgia Tech 3.50 12. Boston Col.   0.50 ACC Women's Indoor Championship Team Results Day 1 1. North Carolina     35 2. Clemson            34 3. Duke                 31 4. Maryland            30 5. Virginia Tech       29 6. Florida State       29 7. Virginia              24 8. NC State                22 9. Miami                15 10. Georgia Tech    12 11. Boston College   9 12. Wake Forest       3

Hill, who has set school records in each of the three indoor races he's run this season, ran a 3:57.34 split over the last 1,600 meters and made up more than 20 meters in the final two laps to overtake Virginia's Patrick Todd and win the title.

Senior Bobby Moldovan led off the Wolfpack, running the 1,200 meters in 3:00.58, before handing off to junior Daniel Fretz, who ran the 400 meters in 49.01. Fretz gave way to freshman Vibushan Sivakumaran, who turned in a 1:53.13 in the 800 meters.

Hill trailed by about 25 yards when he received the baton and maintained that distance until his final kick. He overtook Todd on the final lap and won going away by about 30 meters.

"Ryan has such a great sense of racing to know that he didn't have to make up the entire distance immediately," Geiger said. "He gradually worked his way back into the race. It took him some time, but he still had something left for the kick."

It's the fifth time NC State has won the men's DMR title, the most of any ACC school.

Kornegay-Gober, a two-time All-ACC performer in indoor track, cleared the mark of 7-feet, 3 ¾-inches at the Reggie Lewis Track Center on his first attempt at that height. He tried to clear 7-feet, 5-inches to exceed the NCAA qualifying mark of 7-feet, 4 ¼-inches, but missed on his three attempts.

It's the fourth time this season Kornegay-Gober has exceeded 7-feet, with his previous career best being 7-feet, 2 ¼-inches, set earlier this year at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.

The previous meet record of 7-feet, 3 ¼-inches was set by Maryland's William Skinner in 1987, making it the second-oldest standing mark in the ACC Indoor Championship meet record book.

"That's just huge for Kris," Geiger said. "Not only to win, but to break the second-oldest mark in the book. And even though his height didn't get to the automatic qualifying mark, it will probably get him to the NCAA Championships in two weeks.

"That's a big day for Kris and for our team."

Kornegay-Gober is the third Wolfpack athlete to win the ACC title in the high jump, joining Kevin Ankrom (1989, '91) and Sean Garland (1994).

Shepherd won All-ACC honors by finishing third in the long jump with a mark of 19-feet, 8.75-inches. Hoer was third in the 5,000 meters, followed closely by teammate Joanna Thompson in fifth place to give the Wolfpack 10 points in the event.

Senior Lawanda Henry also scored five points for the Wolfpack women with a fourth-place finish in the women's weight throw.

Both junior Brian Himelright and junior Erin Mercer, the Pack's only entrants in the men's and women's mile, advanced to the finals in their events. Himelright's time of 4:07.93 was the fifth best in qualifying, while Mercer's time of 4:50.30 was the seventh best time posted in qualifying.

Fretz, who ran the 400-meter leg of the DMR, advanced to the 400-meter finals with a seventh-place qualifying time of 49.05 seconds, while Iyevbele advanced to the finals of the women's 800 meters.

Late Friday evening, the Wolfpack added eight more points to its total as sophomore Nathaniel Williams, redshirt freshman Jule Rich and junior Grant Pearce finished fifth, sixth and seventh in the men's weight throw, the last event of the first day of the meet.

ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships
Reggie Lewis Track Center
Roxbury, Mass.
NC State's Day 1 results

Men's mile
5. Brian Himelright 4:07.93q

Women's mile
7. Erin Mercer 4:50.30q

Women's 60-meter hurdles
16. Taylor Graham 8.93

Men's 400 meters
7. Daniel Fretz                49.05Q
14. Kevin Permenter      50.00
19. Martin DeFrancesco 50.44

Women's 400 meters
23. Colleen McGuire       58.60
26. Sharese Roberts        59.65
27. Denae Ford             1:00.20

800 meters
8. Kenyetta Iyevbele        2:10.20q
11. Tiayonna Blackmon    2:11.73
16. Anna Gillespie            2:12.89
20. Deanna Foshee          2:14.02

Men's 60 meters
15. Bryan Underwood        7.00
16. C.J. Wilson                     7.01

Women's 60 meters
14. Paige Eley                      7.70

Men's 200 meters
20. Martin DeFrancesco   22.83
25. Kevin Permenter           23.08

Men's 5,000 meters
4. Matt Sonnefeldt           14:19.02
6. Patrick Campbell         14:22.06
27. Michael Mansy          15:02.65

Women's 5,000 meters
3. Laura Hoer                     16:29.06
5. Joanna Thompson        16:35.26
18. Samantha Norman     17:31.38
19. Halsey Merritt             17:45.50

Men's distance medley relay
1. NC State                           9:40.05
(Bobby Moldovan, Daniel Fretz, Vibushan Sivakumaran, Ryan Hill)

Women's distance medley relay
8. NC State                           11:46.00
(Kenyetta Iyevbele, Colleen McGuire, Tiayonna Blackmon, Erin Mercer)

Women's high jump
9. Elizabeth Shuman               5' 05"
12. Danielle Adams                5' 05"

Men's high jump
1. Kris Kornegay-Gober      7' 3.75"

Women's long jump
3. Karimah Shepherd        19' 8.75"

Men's long jump
13. Kwame Boatwright                  22' 3.75"
14. Rueben Malone                     22' 3.75"

Women's weight throw
4. Lawanda Henry                59' 11"
12. Tremanisha Taylor       52' 7.25"
13. Kortney Pearce              52' 4.50"

Men's weight throw

5. Nathaniel Williams      59' 09.50"
6. Jule Rich                          59' 07.75"
7. Grant Pearce                 58' 08.75

Bold - School record
Italics - ACC Championship meet record
Top three in each event win All-ACC honors