The NC State track and field team had a busy weekend as members competed in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, the Charlotte Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens, Georgia.
NC State began action on Thursday, April 28, in the Penn Relays. On Thursday, graduate student Dominique Clairmonte posted the eighth-fastest time in program history in the women’s 5000m, going for third place with an impressive 15:42.00 time. Not only is that time a personal best, but it is also the 15th-best in the country.
Sophomore Marlee Starliper and senior Nate Kawalec each posted personal bests on Thursday in Philly, with Starliper finishing in 16th place and earning a personal-best 4:23.26 in the women’s 1500m. Kawalec finished in second place in the men’s 5000m, running a personal-best 13:51.56.
The Wolfpack finished its time in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 30 with a record-setting performance in the 4x1500m. Junior Sam Bush, senior Savannah Shaw, sophomore Katelyn Tuohy and graduate student Anna Vess set an NC State and ACC record with a 16:55.19 in the women’s 4x1500m, a time that beat the previous conference record by 25 seconds and is the second-fastest time in collegiate history.
After the first day in Philadelphia, members of the Pack began competition in the Charlotte Invitational and the Torrin Lawrence Memorial. In Charlotte, NC State saw a number of top-10 performances, including a first-place finish for graduate student Andrew Haberman in the men’s hammer throw, going 61.94m (203 feet and 2 inches).
On the women’s side of throws in Charlotte, sophomore Makala Wright posted a 52.02m throw, good for a personal best and the sixth-best mark in program history. Wright finished in second place at the meet.
Sophomore Claire Walters ran a personal-best 4:37.58 in the 1500m in Charlotte, while senior Sarah LaTour and sophomore Alyssa Hendrix competed in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, LaTour earning a podium finish and Hendrix earning a personal best. LaTour clocked a 10:32.18 while Hendrix earned a 10:56.91.
On the first day of competition in Athens on Friday, April 29, the Wolfpack saw the majority of its success in women’s sprints. In the 200m, graduate student Jada Griffin and senior McKenzie Long took first and second place, respectively. Griffin’s 23.47 was a personal best and the fifth-fastest time in NC State history.
Graduate student Von Douglas also set a personal-best time with a 21.07 in the men’s 200m on Friday.
On Saturday in Athens, Griffin once again dominated, earning a 53.00 in the women’s 400m, which was the second-fastest time in program history. Long earned second place in the women’s 100m with an 11.68.
On the men’s side, the 110m hurdles tandem of senior Cameron Murray and junior Joshua Brockman took the top spots on the podium, finishing with a 13.79 and 13.98, respectively. Senior Jamar Davis came in third in the men’s triple jump with a 14.99m leap.
Next up, the Wolfpack will compete in the ACC Championships from Thursday, May 12 to Saturday, May 14 in Durham, North Carolina. After that, the team will compete in the NCAA Regionals at the end of May and in the NCAA Championships in June.
