N.C. State sent two athletes to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. Thursday, and both returned to Raleigh on Sunday with All-American honors in tow.
Redshirt sophomore thrower Nicole Chavis earned a spot as a first-team All-American for weight throw, while redshirt junior thrower Tremanisha Taylor was named to the All-American second-team for shot-put.
“First of all, it’s really hard to get to the competition,” head coach Rollie Geiger said. “They only take 16 per event, so getting to Nationals is extremely difficult. I think it’s a good day for our throwers. [Assistant] Coach [Tom] Wood did a good job preparing Nicole and Trem. I think both of our athletes competed at a very high level.”
Chavis shined in her first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships, launching her weight a distance of 69’ 8”. The mark set both a new personal best and the NCSU school record, which Chavis had set on Feb. 28 at the ACC Championships. Chavis’ toss helped her earn a sixth-place finish at the Championships.
“I feel really well about [my performance],” Chavis said. “It made me feel like what I had been working for the whole season had finally paid off.”
Although the Lumberton native had previously finished behind Miami sophomore Lea Johnson at the ACC Championships, Chavis blew Johnson out of the water in Albuquerque, besting Johnson’s throw by more than three and a half feet.
“I felt a little robbed at ACCs because she beat me by centimeters,” Chavis said. “She’s a great competitor, and we stick together and try to encourage each other. But when it’s time for competition, you have to compete and prove that your school belongs with the best teams.”
Taylor also came up big for the Pack on Saturday, throwing for a distance of 52’ 11”, garnering a 12th-place finish and All-American honors of her own.
“Trem is a great thrower,” Chavis said. “I was really proud of the way she finished her season.”
But Taylor said she was somewhat disappointed with her own performance at the NCAA Championships.
“I actually wanted to do a lot better,” Taylor said. “I didn’t get to throw my best, but that’s just how the competition goes.”
This is not Taylor’s first All-American selection of her collegiate career. The Henderson native earned a spot on the All-American second team after a 15th place finish at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Taylor said though the overall difference between performing indoors and outdoors are minimal, she is much more comfortable in outdoors competition.
“It’s all the same weight and same technique,” Taylor said. “It’s just about your confidence level. I think with more experience next year, I can be better indoors.”
Despite the excellent individual performances of the Wolfpack duo, the Pack finished 47th in the women’s team standings. Oregon, the men’s and women’s NCAA Champions, had 11 men and 12 women competing in Albuquerque. The Ducks posted men’s and women’s scores of 62 and 44, in comparison to the Pack’s scores of zero and three, respectively.