The NC State track and field team sent 16 athletes to the NCAA East Regional Championships this past weekend, half of whom punched their tickets to the NCAA National Championships.
The eight Wolfpack athletes are the most to earn a berth in Nationals since 2013.
Head coach Rollie Geiger said that the number was a “step in the right direction” after sending just three athletes to the Outdoor Championships a year ago.
The Regional competition, held in Jacksonville, Florida, hosted the 48 best athletes in each event. The top 12 competitors would move on to the National event.
Geiger said he continually encouraged his athletes to focus on the end goal: a National berth.
“In every event there were 48 athletes,” Geiger said. “It’s not about 48; it’s about 12.”
Three State seniors qualified for the Regional event, and all three seniors earned berths in the National Championships.
In just her fourth shot put event after returning from back surgery, Tremanisha Taylor threw for a distance of 54’0.00”, earning an eighth place and her third-consecutive National appearance.
Thompson and fellow distance runner Kenyetta Iyevbele both earned a trip to Nationals with 10th and fifth-place finishes in the 10,000m and 800m events, respectively.
After a displeasing showing at the ACC Championships, Thompson was determined to bounce back at Regionals. The senior got off to a strong start but fell midway through the race, jeopardizing her chances at a National berth.
However, Thompson said that the fall only made her more determined to reach her goal.
“Up to that point, I was feeling really strong and was running well, but I was a little bit nervous about finishing,” Thompson said. “But once you’re on the ground, and you get back up, you’re only focused on doing what you have to do to get to the end.”
Thompson said qualifying for Nationals was especially meaningful, as it came during her final season with the Pack.
“[Qualifying for Nationals] is always a goal, especially this season,” Thompson said. “It means a lot for Trem and Kenyetta to be there with me.”
Thompson was one of five distance runners to qualify for the National Championships, along with Iyevbele, sophomore Erika Kemp, junior Graham Crawford and freshman Jacob Thomson.
Geiger, who is also the coach of the Wolfpack cross country team, said he was proud of his runners, but not surprised at the athletes’ success in the spring season.
“When we recruit an athlete that is a track and field/cross country athlete, the first thing we look at is track and field marks,” Geiger said. “If you’re a quality athlete in track and field, you can learn to run cross country. The reverse is not true.”
Historically, the Pack has had strong performances from the men’s distance runners in the postseason, but failed to replicate that past success so far this season.
Crawford, the Pack’s best male runner, failed to place in the top 10 at the ACC Championships but responded well by earning a third-place finish at Regionals.
“The 1500m on the men’s side is hand-to-hand combat,” Geiger said. “What Graham did at Regionals is who he is. The other race [at ACCs] was out of character.”
With Crawford, Thomson and junior Jonathan Addison all heading to Nationals, the Pack has its strongest men’s line-up in a long time. The State men have not scored at the NCAA Championships since 2008.
During this year’s indoor season, Addison was the lone representative for the Pack at Nationals. The junior set a personal best in long jump at 25’10.00”, good enough for second place.
The men’s side finished 12th at the Outdoor ACC Championships, but Addison said he believes his team has come a long way since then.
“ACCs were pretty disappointing as a team,” Addison said. “To have three people show out pretty well at the preliminaries, it feels pretty good.”
Junior sprinter Alexis Perry was the Pack’s final qualifier, qualifying for her second National Championship with an eighth-place finish in the 100m hurdles.
The Pack had a few near misses that could have expanded its list of national qualifiers. Junior SeQuoia Watkins and Taylor finished 14th and 15th respectively in discus, with Watkins throwing less than one foot short of the top 12.
“I think next year, the number will be greater,” Geiger said. “After the competition, I congratulated the ones that made it and told the ones that didn’t that it all starts with practice in the fall.”
The eight Wolfpack qualifiers will head to Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13 to compete for all-American honors.
