RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men’s and women’s cross-country teams are gearing up for a significant competition this weekend. They will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Oct. 19, to participate in the NCAA Pre-Nationals. This event is an important step leading up to the NCAA National Championship meet, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23.
This year’s Pre-Nationals will consist of three separate races. The NC State teams are set to compete in the “A race,” which features the top 32 teams based on the latest USTFCCCA regional and national rankings. The “B race” will include the next 32 teams, while the final race will be an open event for teams not selected for the first two races. However, qualifying teams from the “A” and “B” races are allowed to enter up to three additional athletes in this open race.
In their last outing, the Pack participated in the Sean Earl Loyola Invitational and the ECU Pirate Invitational on Friday, Oct. 4. The women’s team finished with a score of 71 points, placing behind Alabama, which earned 57 points and took first place at Loyola. Junior Grace Hartman was a standout, finishing fourth with a time of 19:16.96. Hannah Gapes followed close behind in sixth place at 20:05.98, while Fiona Smith also contributed with a solid performance, finishing 14th.
The men’s team secured seventh place out of 15 teams, scoring a total of 179 points. Graduate student Brett Gardner was the top finisher for the Pack, taking 11th place with a time of 23:17.97. Toby Gualter followed closely, placing 13th, while freshman Noah Valyo made his NC State debut by finishing 37th.
Currently, the women’s team holds the impressive title of No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in the Southeast Region, while the men’s team ranks No. 8 in the Southeast Region, according to the latest announcements by USTFCCCA.
