The NC State cross country teams will travel a short distance to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to host the ACC Cross Country Championships this Friday.
The women’s team will be looking for its fifth ACC title in a row, having won every year since 2016. The women are also currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Senior Hannah Steelman is expected to have a strong performance in the race, recently winning the Virginia Tech Invite with a time of 20:36.2, which is slightly faster than Wolfpack graduate and All-American Elly Henes. Also a top contender for the Wolfpack is senior Dominique Clairmonte, whose strong performances all season have earned her the honor of Women’s National Runner of the Week on Oct. 13, in addition to ACC Performer of the Week.
The men’s team will go into the ACC Championships as the fourth highest-ranked ACC team, only behind Notre Dame, Virginia and Syracuse. The men currently sit at 21st in the national poll.
Looking to lead the men’s team is redshirt senior Joe Bistritz, who claimed the title at the Virginia Tech Invitational. Also leading the Wolfpack for the men are graduate student JP Flavin and senior Ian Shanklin. Shanklin had the highest finish at last year’s ACC Championships, taking third place. These three have consistently been the top-three finishers for NC State this season.
The men’s 8k will race first at 10 a.m., followed by the women’s 6k at 11 a.m. Due to COVID-19, no spectators will be allowed to attend this year.
