The NC State women’s cross country team placed 16th out of 31 teams at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, Saturday. Redshirt sophomore Sam Parsons represented the men’s team as an individual competitor, finishing 63rd out of 246 runners.
Senior Joanna Thompson led the women’s team, which was ranked No. 24 in the country, while a group score of 456 points was good enough to place 16th, eight places ahead of the Pack’s national ranking.
Women’s head coach Laurie Henes praised her team’s strong overall performance.
“It is always good when you finish higher than your ranking throughout the year going in, so were happy with that,” Henes said. “I think they had a good, solid race, the same type of race they’ve had all year. They were really good from one to four, and whenever you do that in a national championship race you have a shot at finishing in the top 20 or better.”
Thompson set the pace for the group, finishing 32nd with a time of 20:38.0 , followed by sophomore Erika Kemp who ran a 21:05.3 and finished 76th overall. Redshirt sophomore Megan Moye finished with a time of 21:26.7, giving her a 134th-place finish. The women’s team was rounded out by freshman Mary Grace Doggett (137th) with a time of 21:28.6, junior Samantha George (209th) with a time of 22:21.0, freshman Bianca Bishop (221st) with a time of 22:09.7, and redshirt senior Kenyetta Iyevbele (228th) with a time of 22:22.1.
Thompson’s position at the front of the Wolfpack stayed true to her performances as an NC State runner. The senior has consistently led the Pack the past few years and ended her Cross Country career on a high note.
“I raced about the same way that I have been racing for most of the season,” Thompson said. “It was a good representation of what I could do. I was happy with it. I think I left everything I had out on the course, and that was the goal coming into the race.”
This was Thompson’s last race as a member of the Pack. She acquired an All-American mention for the second time in her career.
“This was a great way to end my cross country career,” Thompson said. “We made the championship my freshman year, missed it my sophomore year and I made it my junior year as an individual, but we didn’t make it as a team, so it has come full circle. Getting to come back this year and getting to show everybody what we got was a great way to end my career.”
The Wolfpack men’s team didn’t get a bid for the NCAA Championships but redshirt sophomore Sam Parsons represented the team as an individual competitor. He finished with a time of 31:12.3, which gave him a 63rd overall finish.
Since Parsons started running at State, he has moved up more than 100 places in the national rankings. However, he did not get All-American status this season and will be looking to do so next year.
“I was really gunning for the All-American spot,” Parsons said. “But I gave it everything that I had today so I left no regrets, and I am happy with that.”
Parsons raced without his teammates there alongside him, which was challenging for someone who always puts the team before himself.
“It was hard and a different experience for me,” Parsons said. “I am in it for the team, and I’m in it for the NC State logo that’s across my chest, so that was really tough. I’ve always been a team player, and that’s been instilled in me since I was back in high school.”
With the conclusion of the national championships signaling the end of the fall Cross Country season, the men’s and women’s teams will shift their focus to track and field in the spring.
