MADISON, Wis. – The NC State men’s and women’s cross country teams closed out the 2018 season with a pair of top-15 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday.
Racing in snowy conditions at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, the Pack men placed 11th with 342 points and the Wolfpack women finished 13th with 367 points. It marked the first time since 2003 that both of NC State’s squads finished in the top 15 at the national meet.
MEN’S RACE RECAP:
The Pack men entered the NCAA Championships ranked No. 16 in the nation and came away with a finish five spots higher at No. 11. NC State and BYU tied for 10th with 342 points, and the head-to-head comparison of the five scorers broke the tie and pushed the Wolfpack to 11th place in the championship 10K.
The Wolfpack’s performance was its best since the 2011 season when it finished 10th overall at the national meet.
Ian Shanklin led the way with the highest NCAA Championships finish of his career, crossing the finish line 54th in 30:10.9.
The rest of NC State’s scorers on the men’s side finished within four seconds of one another. Joe Bistritz clocked a 30:32.9 10K to place 88th and was followed by an 89th-place finish from Gavin Gaynor, who finished in 30:33.0.
Elijah Moskowitz was the next Pack finisher, placing 96th in 30:35.6, and Edwin Rutto rounded out the scoring for the NC State men with a 98th-place finish in 30:36.5.
Patrick Sheehan (180th, 31:22.7) and Ben Barrett (228th, 32:23.4) completed the Wolfpack’s seven-man lineup at the NCAA Championships.
WOMEN’S RACE RECAP:
NC State’s women secured a top-15 finish for the fourth season in a row as they finished 13th in the 6K final.
Elly Henes was the Pack’s top finisher with an impressive 16th-place performance. She crossed the finish line in 20:11.6 for the best national finish of her collegiate career.
Nell Crosby was the next to score for the Wolfpack, as she placed a personal-best 54th overall in 20:44.6, and Dominique Clairmonte also secured a spot among the top 100 runners as she finished 62nd with a time of 20:46.6.
Heather Holt continued to build on her solid freshman campaign as NC State’s fourth scorer. She crossed the finish line in 21:25.3 for 146th place, and Nevada Mareno followed by placing 172nd in 21:36.6 to round out the scoring.
Isabel Zimmermann (179th, 21:40.5) and Savannah Shaw (231st, 22:22.0) were also in action for the Pack at the national meet.
HENES REPEATS AS ALL-AMERICAN:
Henes gained All-American status for the second season in a row with her 16th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships. After becoming an All-American for the first time during the 2017 cross country season, Henes has garnered All-America honors at the past four national meets across cross country and track and field.
The nod made Henes the first Wolfpack cross country runner since Joanna Thompson in 2013 and 2014 to repeat as an All-American.
UP NEXT:
The NCAA Championships marks the conclusion of the 2018 cross country season. NC State’s distance athletes will gear up for the start of the indoor track and field season, which is scheduled to open Dec. 1 with the JDL College Kickoff and the BU Season Opener.