The NC State men’s and women’s cross country teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the ACC championships this past weekend in Earlysville, Virginia.
Redshirt sophomore Sam Parsons and redshirt junior Graham Crawford led the Pack men’s showing, finishing fourth and fifth overall. Sebastian Hanson (23rd), Bakri Abushouk (30th) and Sam Roberson (31st) rounded out the team’s performance.
The women’s cross country team finished fourth overall, with Joanna Thompson leading the way with a 10th-place finish. Erika Kemp (23rd), Samantha George (26th), Mary Grace Doggett (27th) and Bianca Bishop (33rd) were the other runners for the Wolfpack women’s team.
Parsons had a breakout day for the Pack, recording his career-best time on the biggest stage thus far in the season, running a 6k in 23:25.6.
“It was definitely a breakout race for me,” Parsons said. “I’ve always been in the pack as an average runner, but in this particular race I stepped up and made a name for myself.”
The Newark, Delaware, native was highly complementary of his teammate, Crawford, who finished just a place behind.
“We ran side by side the entire way at ACC, and he finished fifth overall right behind me,” Parsons said. “He helped me grow my confidence early in the year working out with him, and he taught me so much about having humility in this sport.”
The Wolfpack’s second-place finish bodes well for next season as the team features no departing seniors, according to Parsons.
“Right now we have all returners for next year,” the redshirt sophomore said. “We have one junior, two sophomores and three freshmen, so we are an incredibly young team. So for all of us young guys to step up and get second overall was incredible.”
The Pack beat out a number of top-30 ranked schools according to the USTFCCCA Division I National Coaches’ Poll, including No. 13 Virginia, No. 15 Florida State and No. 28 UNC-Chapel Hill.
“When you look at other teams like UNC with four seniors and consider that we beat them by five points, that’s a really big accomplishment for our team,” Parsons said.
Looking ahead, the Wolfpack will be going to Louisville, Kentucky, for the NCAA Southeast Regionals Nov. 14 before heading to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, Nov. 22.
When asked how the team’s performance at the ACC championships will carry over to the NCAA, Parsons was understandably upbeat.
“The more races and the more experience we have will make us better,” Parsons said. “The ACC was a big jump for us, and I think a lot of the guys who started out a little slower are finally understanding it. I think by the time we get to nationals, that experience will help us [compete] at that level.”
