After winning the ACC championship last week, several N.C. State runners participated in the Wolfpack Invitational this Saturday at SAS Soccer and Cross Country Complex in Cary.
Kris Roth ran unattached and finished first in the women’s race with a time of 17:28. Soon after redshirt junior Jessie Yester finished second with a time of 17:53. Redshirt junior Elena Helmerick took fourth for the Pack with a time of 18:43.
Rivals North Carolina and Duke also entered runners in the race. Duke was the only team to present a full squad in the women’s event. The Blue Devils also won the men’s race with a score of 15-44.
The top eight runners who competed in the ACC championship performance last week did not run Saturday, and according to assistant coach Jackie Brooks, who coached the event Saturday, the race was a chance for those who will not compete in the postseason to shine at the end of the regular season.
“The top eight are preparing for the regional meet this upcoming Saturday in Louisville and they all raced last weekend in the conference championships,” Brooks said. “The athletes who are not in our top eight and running the regional championships, this gives them an opportunity to race an additional race instead of having their season be over.”
State had one male runner in the men’s competition, freshman Jason Morgan, who ran unattached with a time of 17:19, finishing 18th.
According to Brooks, the effort of Yester and Helmerick was particularly notable.
“Kris Roth ran very well,” Brooks said. “She ran pretty much the whole race by herself. She went out a little fast, but was able to hold on to it and finished with a good time. She ran pretty much equivalent to what our top eight was running, but she doesn’t have cross country eligibility or she would be in that top lineup. For Jessie Yester that was a personal record for her. That was the fastest she’s run on that course or any other 5K for that matter, so she had a real good day.”
The Pack is preparing for the regional meet this week, in which the top two teams in the region will qualify for the national championships. Brooks said State’s chances at competing in the national championships are probable.
“Going into regionals, the top two qualify in the regional meet for nationals and we have a very good chance of being in that top two and moving on to the national championships,” Brooks said. “Hopefully we can perform to where we’re ranked. We’re ranked second in the country right now. Everybody’s running real well and things are looking real good, and we just have to get through next weekend and get to the national championships.”
