Saturday morning in Wisconsin, NC State women’s cross country juniors Grace Hartman and Hannah Gapes furthered their successful junior campaigns at the NCAA Division I National Championships, both boasting top-10 finishes to lead the Wolfpack women to an eighth-place finish — 104 points behind the victorious BYU Cougars. Hartman hung around the lead group throughout the race and finished fifth at 19:39.5.
While Hartman was steady in her position with the leaders, Gapes jumped up and down the leaderboard at every checkpoint. At the 1000-meter mark, she was up at the front in second place. By the halfway point at 3000 meters, she had fallen to 28th. After everything, Gapes did not give up in the back half of the race, climbing back into the top 10 to finish eighth at 19:42.7.
Although the Wolfpack women couldn’t complete the quest for four straight national championships, there is a lot to be proud of with this group of runners. Considering that three of the top five NC State finishers from last year graduated, including the 2022 individual champion Katelyn Tuohy, maintaining such a level of excellence was a monumental task.
Hartman was the only runner from last year’s top five to compete this season. Her experience in the big moments showed as she won the individual ACC Championship and Southeast Regional.
Gapes placed top 10 in every event this fall, including two podium finishes at the ACC Championship and the Southeast Regional.
Similar to previous competitions throughout the season, a lack of depth proved costly for the Pack. After Hartman and Gapes, senior Brooke Rauber was the next to cross the finish line, placing 50th at 20:12.4. Sophomore Angelina Napoleon placed 96th, coming in at 20:31.0, freshman Bethany Michalak placed 160th with a time of 20:52.2, sophomore Kate Putman placed 203rd, coming in at 21:12.1 and freshman Ellie Shea rounded out the bottom, placing 247th at 22:02.5.
In a field of 255 of the best collegiate runners in the country, the Wolfpack women put up a solid effort during a rebuilding year. Comparing performances from the top runners for the Pack in this event to last season’s national championship, Gapes took a huge leap from 73rd to eighth. Hartman jumped from 63rd to fifth. The young core provides much promise for next season considering what Gapes and Hartman accomplished this season.
On the men’s side, graduate Brett Gardner was the sole competitor for the red-and-white. Gardner capped off his graduate campaign with a solid performance in a strong field, finishing 122nd at 30:01.7.
The Wolfpack did not come away with hardware at the national championships this year, but it has a lot to build on and look forward to in the years to come under reigning three-time National Coach of the Year Laurie Henes.
