NC State track and field hosted the Raleigh Relays this past weekend, inviting over 250 schools nationwide to compete at the Paul Derr Track & Field Facility. The three-day event was highlighted by junior Grace Hartman and sophomore Angelina Napoleon’s record-breaking performances in the women’s 10,000-meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase races, respectively.
The Pack opened the meet Thursday, and many of its standout performances came from the field. Junior Katie Horne threw for 48.40 meters in the women’s javelin to take fifth place in the event while senior Luke Thierfelder threw for 66.58 meters in the men’s javelin to finish in fourth place. Both athletes now hold the all-time best mark in Wolfpack history in their respective events. Senior Jakerra Covington also competed in the women’s javelin event, where her mark of 40.82 meters earned her 19th place.
On the track, graduate student Brett Gardner clocked a time of 3:42.18 in the men’s 1500-meter race to notch a new personal record and the fourth-best 1500-meter time in NC State history.
Day 2 is when the Wolfpack made its mark. Hartman clocked a time of 31:20.60 in the women’s 10,000-meter while Napoleon finished the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:34.22, both setting personal bests in addition to meet, facility and program records. Napoleon’s time is the fastest recorded in the NCAA this season, while Hartman’s time is the third-fastest in NCAA history.
“Coming off of indoor I was pretty confident that I could rip a good time,” Napoleon said. “I wasn’t quite sure what it was going to be, so it was definitely a confidence boost.”
Sophomores Kate Putman, Jayda Hunter, Elijah Dawes and Jordyn Parker, along with freshman Shaune Ingraham, also altered NC State’s record books on Day 2. Putman’s time of 4:14.98 in the women’s 1,500 meter ranks seventh in program history, while Hunter’s mark of 12.47 meters in the triple jump puts her in the number three spot.
“Great builds great, and you can’t argue with that,” Napoleon said. “You know that you can go to anybody and they’re going to lift you up and push you to the max.”
Dawes dashed to a second-place finish in the men’s 400-meter race with a time of 46.21 seconds and now ranks fifth in Wolfpack history. Ingraham and Parker lined up for the women’s 400, clocking in at 55.25 and 55.62, respectively, to claim the eighth and ninth place spots in the Pack’s record book.
Day 3 was another day of personal bests and historic performances for NC State. Napoleon and Putman returned to the lineup to compete in the women’s 800-meter, crossing the finish line in 2:06.37 and 2:08.06, respectively, to establish themselves as the fifth and 10th fastest competitors in the event in red-and-white history. In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Xavier Branker took third place with a time of 51.21 that now ranks sixth all-time for NC State.
On the field, junior Elyssia Fisher placed fifth in the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.92 meters that moved her up to the number nine spot in NC State’s record books. Hunter and freshman Nia Poole also set personal bests in the event. Meanwhile, graduate student Makala Wright threw for 54.39 meters in the hammer throw for the fifth-best all-time performance in school history. Sophomore Natalie Griffith also set a personal best in the event. In the men’s hammer throw, sophomore Tony Taylor II’s personal best mark of 51.88 meters earned him fifth place.
The red-and-white will stay local for its next outing at the Duke Invitational hosted by the Blue Devils. Competition will begin April 10 and wrap up April 12.
