The NC State track and field team sent eight of its members to the NCAA Championships this past weekend in Eugene, Oregon.
Juniors Jonathan Addison and Alexis Perry, and redshirt junior Graham Crawford each achieved all-American status in their respective events.
To reach the Championships, the athletes had to finish in the top 12 in their respective Regionals. Head coach Rollie Geiger said making it to Nationals was a great accomplishment in itself.
“Just getting to Nationals is very difficult,” Geiger said. “There are 24 athletes in each event, and every one of them is a very high-level athlete.”
Crawford and Perry both were named as second team all-Americans in the men’s 1,500m and women’s 110m hurdles respectively.
However, it was Addison who stole the show for State with a fourth-place finish in the men’s long jump, setting a personal best and garnering a first-team all-American selection in the process.
In the long jump competition, each athlete gets three jumps in the preliminary and final rounds, with only the best jump counting. Addison said he wanted to set the tone early with a solid first jump.
“I was determined to get a good first jump,” Addison said. “I set a personal-best on my first attempt, which really got my confidence up.”
In the final round, Addison broke his record once again, leaping a distance of 26’2.75”. The distance was the second-best mark in school history and was the best finish in any men’s event for the Pack since 2012.
Addison had been to Nationals the previous year but failed to reach all-American status. The long jumper said his experience this season was much more positive in comparison to his trip to the Championships in 2014.
“I was much more relaxed,” Addison said. “I wasn’t very confident in my ability last time, but this year I felt I was prepared in every way.”
Geiger said for most athletes, the experience gained from a trip to Nationals is invaluable when trying to reach that stage a second time.
“There’s no substitute for experience,” Geiger said. “You have to have athletic talent, but experience is something that will put you in a position to be top eight.”
Despite his increased confidence, Addison said his competition at the Championships was as strong as he had ever seen — much tougher than that in his previous trips to Nationals.
“I had spectacular competition,” Addison said. “If the wind had been more still, the guy who finished first probably would have broken the NCAA record. It’s cool to be able to witness feats by others.”
Geiger said many of the competitors at the NCAA Championships were not just top collegiate performers, but Olympic-level athletes.
“A number of these athletes will make Olympic teams, whether it be the U.S. or other,” Geiger said. “When you look at the marks that were coming off that track, you just have to say ‘Wow.’ For Jonathan to get a piece of that, it’s incredible.”
After a tough performance at the ACC Outdoor Championships, Crawford battled back for a strong showing at Regionals and a 10th-place finish on the National stage.
“My performance at Regionals gave me confidence,” Crawford said. “I kicked hard and passed a good amount of people. I was ready for any type of race at Nationals.”
In her second trip to Nationals, Perry finished 13th in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.14 seconds, the second-fastest in NC State history.
“Alexis Perry making it in the hurdles — what an event that was,” Geiger said. “The hurdles were so fast, and she drew the fastest heat. It was a step in the right direction for her, and I think she’ll make it [to Nationals] in long jump next year too.”
With all five of the Wolfpack eight National contenders returning next season, including all three all-Americans, Geiger said he expects greatness from his team in 2016.
