The NC State men’s and women’s cross country teams both took second place at the ACC championships this past Friday in Tallahassee, Florida.

Eight Wolfpack runners earned All-ACC honors for top-20 finishes between the men’s and women’s teams, which entered ranked 12th and eighth in the nation, respectively.

Redshirt junior Sam Parsons and redshirt senior Meron Simon, who finished seventh and ninth, broke the plane first for the Pack. Sebastian Hanson (16th), Bakri Abushouk (18th) and Zack Langston (45th) followed soon after to complete the team’s finish.

Parson, Simon, Hanson and Abushouk were named All-ACC.

The Pack’s emphasis on racing smart proved to be successful.

“We talked a bit last night about racing IQ,” head coach Rollie Geiger said. “I thought the force of Sam, Meron, Bakri and Sebastian did a terrific job of controlling the race and not [letting] the race control them.”

This strategy also enabled the Pack to upset a University of Virginia team that ranked No. 7 in the most recent USTFCCCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Cavaliers defeated the Pack last time the teams met at the Wisconsin Invitational earlier this season.

Only one of 14 competitors was able to outpace the Pack: No. 2 Syracuse. Though the young team has continued to exceed expectations this season, the goal is never to finish second.

“For the program it was a good day,” Geiger said. “We don’t go here to finish second, but I realize the level Syracuse is at this time.”

Next, the team is looking forward to the NCAA Southeast Regional meet in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

“We showed well today, but looking down the road, the region will be a challenge,” Geiger said. “We’ve got all the ACC schools, and now throw Furman in there. It’ll be a challenge.”

The squad will also have to adjust to a further race distance as they transition from 8,000 meters to 10,000 meters.

“The coaches have to understand the last two races are 10,000 meters, so we prepared for that the entire year,” Geiger said. “But you know all of these things are a challenge.”

At the Regional Championships, the Pack will seek a ticket to the NCAA Championships held Nov. 21 in Louisville, Kentucky. 

The women’s team was led by freshman Ryen Frazier and redshirt freshman Rachel Koon, who finished fifth and seventh, srespectively. Kaitlyn Kramer (18th), Erika Kemp (20th) and Megan Moye (25th) rounded out the top five for the Pack.

Frazier, Koon, Kramer and Kemp were All-ACC competitors.

Many runners stepped up for the Pack to contribute to its second-place finish.

“Rachel Koon is a walk-on from TC Roberson in Asheville, and she did not make the North Carolina state meet her senior year,” women’s head coach Laurie Henes said. “So to have her place seventh at an ACC Championship is huge.”

A few runners also returned from injury as well.

“Kaitlyn Kramer has been on the injury list for so long,” Henes said. “To have [her] put that together on this day is great.”

However, despite a second-place finish to the University of Virginia, there was a slight feeling of disappointment. 

“It’s a really tough day,” Henes said. “We got beat by the seventh-ranked team in the country by four points. It’s a little disappointing for the athletes, but I think they’ve got the right attitude going in. We’ve got three weeks to be ready for nationals.”

Now, the women’s team is looking to fine tune as it moves toward the NCAA Southeast Regional meet Nov. 13 in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

“There’s a lot of ways we can [improve],” Henes said. “So we’ll stay at a pretty heavy training level this week and kind of back into regionals. Then that will carry through [to nationals]. There’s only eight days between regionals and nationals. It’s a different cycle.”

At the regional meet, the Pack will seek a bid to the NCAA Championships held Nov. 21 in Louisville, Kentucky.