GuerrillaPack said:

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DrummerboyWolf said:

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The times are listed on the link above. Look for Final Times under the schedule. You are right that the Men will start at 5:40 and the Women at 6:20.

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Ok thanks. Right now I'm seeing it still saying "tentative" schedule.

https://thexcchallenge.com/schedule/

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Schedule now finalized for the Adidas Challenge this Friday, Sept 15th.

Men's race starts at 5:15 pm. Women's race starts at 5:55 pm.

start lists are out for the opening home meet. Start lists are always fluid particularly for a smaller meet like this but for now it looks like no Tuohy, Bush, Tyynismaa, Rauber or Howlett. Most others will be running led by Chmiel and Hartman. All of the freshman except for Leah Stephens appear to be running unattached as well as Abby Loveys which is an interesting development.

https://results.flashresults.com/2023_09-15_Adidas/roster_4col.pdf

Meet Day Ready😤

The Pack returns to the course tonight at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary for the first official meet of the season‼️#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/Oq49NZaJd4

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) September 15, 2023

bamboozled again by the start list. I think NC State is only running 2 runners attached (Heather Holt and Caroline Murrell) and the true freshman (minus Kate Putman) unattached.

so with none of the big names running, all we learned from this one is that this years freshman class is as good as advertised, and that was with no Kate Putman.

NC State true freshman took the top 3 places individually (running unattached)

1st Leah Stephens 16:54
2nd Angelina Napoleon 17:14
3rd Jolena Quarzo 17:14

Heather Holt finished in 17:25 for 6th place and another true freshman Mia Hall had a strong race coming off an injury this past spring/summer as she ran 17:39 for 14th place

The NC State cross country team returned to action on Friday night at the Adidas XC Challenge with JJ Malach taking first place in the men's 6k and helping lead the Pack to a season-opening victory.

Malach took home his first collegiate win of his career in the men's 6k, clocking in at 17:50.9 to finish first. He was closely followed by Toby Gualter and Daniel McGoey who clocked in at 17:53.2 and 18:04.6 to take second and third, respectively. Three more NC State runners followed, as Wesley Larson (18:05.2), Zach Hughes (18:09.5), and Matthew Bogdan (18:10.2) rounded out an all-Wolfpack top-six.

Malach, Gualter, McGoey, Larson, and Hughes accumulated 15 points as the first five runners across the finish line and secured the win for the Pack.

In the women's 5k, NC State athletes Leah Stephens (16:54.8), Angelina Napoleon (17:14.0), and Jolena Quarzo (17:14.7) ran unattached and claimed the top-three spots in the race. The first NC State runner to cross the finish line wearing the red and white was Heather Holt, who finished sixth with a time of 17:25.3.

UP NEXT
The Wolfpack returns to action on Friday, September 29 when it travels to South Bend, Indiana to compete in the Joe Piane Invitational.

MEN'S 6K RESULTS

• JJ Malach - (17:50.9) (1st)
• Toby Gualter - (17:53.2) (2nd)
• Daniel McGoey - (18:04.6) (3rd)
• Wesley Larson - (18:05.2) (4th)
• Zach Hughes - (18:09.5) (5th)
• Matthew Bogdan - (18:10.2) (6th)
• Patrick Gibbons - (18:32.9) (12th)
• Ryan Motondo - (18:33.2) (13th)
• Jimmy Mullarkey - (18:35.0) (14th)
• Elliott McArthur (Unattached) - 18:44.1 (21st)
• Grant Howlett (Unattached) - 19:49.3 (62nd)
• Kyle Durham (Unattached) - 20:23.3 (83rd)

WOMEN'S 5k RESULTS

• Leah Stephens (Unattached) - 16:54.8 (1st)
• Angelina Napoleon (Unattached) - 17:14.0 (2nd)
• Jolena Quarzo (Unattached) - 17:14.7 (3rd)
• Heather Holt - 17:25.3 (6th)
• Mia Hall (Unattached) - 17:39.7 (14th)
• Caroline Murrell - 17:58.0 (19th)

https://gopack.com/news/2023/9/15/cross-country-malach-wolfpack-men-record-6k-victory-at-adidas-xc-challenge

jadawson said:

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bamboozled again by the start list. I think NC State is only running 2 runners attached (Heather Holt and Caroline Murrell) and the true freshman (minus Kate Putman) unattached.

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So am I understanding this correctly. N. C. State did not start enough women to win the the team championship, but they had 4 runners in the top 6 but three of those were running unattached? Why would that happen. Did not have to use the stars and I imagine N. C. State would have won anyway? Just very confusing to me. It would have been great confidence for the newcomers to win as a team?

You run them "unattached" so you can redshirt them.

DrummerboyWolf said:

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jadawson said:

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bamboozled again by the start list. I think NC State is only running 2 runners attached (Heather Holt and Caroline Murrell) and the true freshman (minus Kate Putman) unattached.

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So am I understanding this correctly. N. C. State did not start enough women to win the the team championship, but they had 4 runners in the top 6 but three of those were running unattached? Why would that happen. Did not have to use the stars and I imagine N. C. State would have won anyway? Just very confusing to me. It would have been great confidence for the newcomers to win as a team?

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what GuerrillaPack said regarding redshirting, plus XC is a weird sport in that winning prior to the postseason (ACC's, Regionals, Nationals) only matters if you are beating good teams to do so. Winning an opening meet against local smaller schools doesn't do anything for you as a team regarding qualifying for nationals.

I think everyone at this level has been running long enough and knows the mix of individuality and team aspect that they would gain enough confidence in a meet of this size and ability by just finishing high as an individual, even if unattached.

GuerrillaPack said:

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You run them "unattached" so you can redshirt them.

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Ok that makes sense. So N. C. State did not have a full team run yesterday, but they would have won had the freshmen not been "unattached."

jadawson said:

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DrummerboyWolf said:

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jadawson said:

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bamboozled again by the start list. I think NC State is only running 2 runners attached (Heather Holt and Caroline Murrell) and the true freshman (minus Kate Putman) unattached.

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So am I understanding this correctly. N. C. State did not start enough women to win the the team championship, but they had 4 runners in the top 6 but three of those were running unattached? Why would that happen. Did not have to use the stars and I imagine N. C. State would have won anyway? Just very confusing to me. It would have been great confidence for the newcomers to win as a team?

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what GuerrillaPack said regarding redshirting, plus XC is a weird sport in that winning prior to the postseason (ACC's, Regionals, Nationals) only matters if you are beating good teams to do so. Winning an opening meet against local smaller schools doesn't do anything for you as a team regarding qualifying for nationals.

I think everyone at this level has been running long enough and knows the mix of individuality and team aspect that they would gain enough confidence in a meet of this size and ability by just finishing high as an individual, even if unattached.

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Thanks

The first thing is that team results in races like this are absolutely meaningless. They absolutely do not care about team results or winning or even having enough runners for a team. Running unattached is a common practice to get race experience without using any eligibility. It's completely different from team sports, where it's not like you can participate in a football game without a jersey on. It's similar to track season, where college runners can run in pro events, and pro runners can run in college events, and club runners can run in both, and college team runners can just wear a different color jersey and all of the sudden they don't actually count for anything.

But the coaches are confident in our top runners. They're just training through and don't have anything to prove in a race like this. They're racing some of the younger and non-elite runners to get them some college racing experience and to see who might be good enough to contribute this year. If Leah performs well unattached for another race or two, she might suit up for the varsity squad in the post-season. Henes likes to redshirt her freshmen, but if you're good, you're good.

It's hard to tell what a good result is from these types of races. You beat up on Richmond and William & Mary, big whoop. The coaches have goal times and everything, and they'll give some coach-speak in an interview, but I really have no idea if these were good times or not.

Previous years for reference:
2022: https://flashresults.com/2022_Meets/xc/adidasXC/

Parker Wolfe (UNC) 17:48 - he's a stud, true national caliber
Joaquin Martinez (WFU) 17:52 - he's not very good at XC but has some solid track times
Brett Gardner (NCSU) 17:54
JP Flavin (NCSU) 17:55

Katelyn Tuohy 16:30
Kelsey Chmiel 16:31
Sam Bush 16:41
Sarah Latour 16:44
Hannah Steelman 16:53

2021 (October): https://flashresults.com/2021_Meets/xc/Wolfpack/
Men ran 8k, so no comparison
Dom Clairmont 16:56
Hannah Steelman 17:03
Sasha Neglia (UNC) 17:29

So, at least our times this year are comparable to previous years. The women freshmen are of course no where close to Tuohy, Chmiel, and Bush last year, but no one would expect them to be.

Sending a big ‘thank you’ to Chancellor Woodson for coming out to start both the men’s and women’s races last night at the Adidas XC Challenge in Cary‼️#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/fY8XbAZ2rt

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) September 16, 2023

🐺Packin’ the Polls🐺

Check out where the Wolfpack ranks in the latest USTFCCCA Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll📈#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/R3kYI2BBFe

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) September 19, 2023

Did State have anybody (current or alumni) run in the Prefontaine Classic this past weekend?

I don't think so.

No, this was a weird year where the Pre Classic doubled as the finals for the Diamond League (T&F's pro circuit). So it was required to host the finals for all the events and didn't have space in the schedule for any other events or national races they typically host.

entries released for the Joe Piane Invitational tomorrow. Looks like NC State is sending a very light squad. Expected contributors missing are Tuohy, Tyynismaa, Rauber, Howlett, & Loveys. Fairly confident the plan was always to sit Tuohy at this meet due to her late post-season, but unclear if the others are being sat due to injury or illness or what. Hopefully nothing too serious.

As such, the entered women are:

Sam Bush
Kelsey Chmiel
Hannah Gapes
Grace Hartman
Alyssa Hendrix
Heather Holt
Gionna Quarzo
Jenna Schulz
Leah Stephens

The biggest talking point in terms of who is running is that Leah Stephens is entered officially for NC State and is burning the redshirt. Either Henes feels very confident about her fitness and ability to contribute this year, or it means that one or more of the missing athletes may be missing for an extended period and we need the lineup help in the short term.

Without all the key names its unlikely we win this one with Notre Dame and Alabama seeming to enter all their key names, but you never know could be surprised. My guess of a top 5 is:

Chmiel
Bush
Hartman
Quarzo
Stephens

3 of the other true freshman are entered Unattached so are remaining redshirted in Angelina Napoleon, Kate Putman, and Jolena Quarzo.

Rise and Grind😤

📍: South Bend, IN
🏟️: Burke Golf Course
📊: https://t.co/wtwWOdvDFU#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/jBjJl5anmJ

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) September 29, 2023

Well i suddenly feel a whole lot better about NC State's depth after this race. NC State without so many top runners (Tuohy, Tyynismaa, Rauber etc.,) still managed to beat #4 in the country Notre Dame amongst other good teams and win the Joe Piane Invitational with 44 points. Kelsey Chmiel took 2nd place, Leah Stephens (the reason why my confidence is back) took 4th place in her first ever official race for NC State, Grace Hartman was 9th, Gionna Quarzo was 14th and Jenna Schulz was 15th. Hannah Gapes was 23rd for some extra assurance after our top 5 and Sam Bush was 30th in an off day.

NC State has a new stud in Leah Stephens. What a run. Stephens beat NCAA superstars like Olivia Markezich from Notre Dame and Hilda Olemomoi from Alabama who were both top 10 at nationals last year. Obviously dont know if they are 100% but those are huge scalps to take in your first big meet experience. Shoutout to Grace Hartman too in her first official cross country race in 9th.

in the Women's open race running unattached, Angelina Napoleon takes 3rd and Kate Putman takes 6th. Napoleon's time would have had her 21st in the top women's race and NC state's 6th runner which is very promising.

Stephens: omg hell yes
Bush: I'm just gonna assume this was an off day. She's been reliable for years, please remain good plz.

toddl said:

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Stephens: omg hell yes
Bush: I'm just gonna assume this was an off day. She's been reliable for years, please remain good plz.

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Yeah not sure what happened there with Bush, she was conservative/off from the gun and was placed in the 30's at every split. Hopefully just recovering from a slight training setback and still working on getting the sharpness/turnover back. She's a proven gamer so i have faith she'll turn it back around.

The NC State cross country teams returned to action today, claiming two event wins at the Joe Piane Invitational hosted by Notre Dame.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Kelsey Chmiel got things going by taking second place in the women's blue 5000m race with a time of 16:15.1. Freshman Leah Stephens also finished in the top-five with a fourth-place time of 16:24.0. Grace Hartman clocked in at 16:36.6 to take ninth before Gionna Quarzo (16:51.0) and Jenna Schulz (16:51.1) took 14th and 15th, respectively. The women's team finished in first place with 44 total points.

The next victory of the day for the Pack came in the men's open 5 mile race. Zach Hughes crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 24:35.4 and was joined in the top-10 by Matthew Bogdan, who placed sixth after running 24:47.4. Patrick Gibbons (25:25.0), Kevin Antczak (25:28.2), and Miles Ally (25:30.7) finished in 16th, 18th, and 20th to make up the top-five finishes for NC State. The squad finished the race with 18 points and first overall place.

The Wolfpack was also represented in the women's open 5000m. Angelina Napoleon ran unattached and finished third with a time of 17:01.4. Fellow first-year Kate Putman also ran unattached, clocking in at 17:44.4 to take sixth.

In the men's blue 5 mile, the men's team placed fourth with 174 points. Brett Gardner was the first Pack athlete to finish and he did so in 23:54.9 to take 17th. Daniel McGoey followed him, finishing 23rd with a time of 23:59.4. The rest of the top-five finishes in the race for NC State were represented by Hannes Burger (24:13.0), Toby Gualter (24:16.2), and JJ Malach (24:27.6), who finished 42nd, 43rd, and 49th, respectively.

UP NEXT
The Wolfpack returns to action on Friday, October 13 at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, WI and Saturday, October 14 at the ECU Pirate Invitational In Greenville, NC.

RESULTS:

WOMEN'S BLUE 5000M - 1st Place (44 points)

• Kelsey Chmiel - 16:15.1 (2nd)
• Leah Stephens - 16:24.0 (4th)
• Grace Hartman - 16:36.6 (9th)
• Gionna Quarzo - 16:51.0 (14th)
• Jenna Schulz - 16:51.1 (15th)
• Hannah Gapes - 17:04.3 (23rd)
• Sam Bush - 17:18.7 (30th)
• Heather Holt - 17:45.5 (60th)
• Alyssa Hendrix - 18:05.5 - (86th)

MEN'S OPEN 5 MILE - 1st Place (18 points)

• Zach Hughes - 24:35.4 (3rd)
• Matthew Bogdan - 24:47.4 (6th)
• Patrick Gibbons - 25:25.0 (16th)
• Kevin Antczak - 25:28.2 (18th)
• Miles Ally - 25:30.7 (20th)
• Elliot McArthur (Unattached) - 25:33.1 (23rd)

WOMEN'S OPEN 5000M

• Angelina Napoleon (Unattached) - 17:01.4 (3rd)
• Kate Putman (Unattached) - 17:44.4 (6th)

MEN'S BLUE 5 MILE - 4th Place (174 points)

• Brett Gardner - 23:54.9 (17th)
• Daniel McGoey - 23:59.4 (23rd)
• Hannes Burger - 24:13.0 (42nd)
• Toby Gualter - 24:16.2 (43rd)
• JJ Malach - 24:27.6 (49th)
• Wesley Larson - 24:30.4 (54th)
• Ian Harrison - 24:45.6 (78th)
• Jake Toomey - 25:06.1 (101st)
• Joe Jaster - 25:21.5 (116th)

https://gopack.com/news/2023/9/29/cross-country-wolfpack-takes-home-two-team-victories-at-joe-piane-invitational

Letsrun.com put out a preview of their top 10 teams in NCAA right now, and in the blurb on NC State they confirmed that Tuohy and Tyynismaa will not run until later in the season, Tuohy due to her long track season and Tyynismaa due to an injury she dealt with over the summer. Also indicated that its unlikely Brooke Rauber runs this season due to injury as well. That makes the performances of Stephens and Hartman so much more valuable given the unclear nature of several top runners.

jadawson said:

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Letsrun.com put out a preview of their top 10 teams in NCAA right now, and in the blurb on NC State they confirmed that Tuohy and Tyynismaa will not run until later in the season, Tuohy due to her long track season and Tyynismaa due to an injury she dealt with over the summer. Also indicated that its unlikely Brooke Rauber runs this season due to injury as well. That makes the performances of Stephens and Hartman so much more valuable given the unclear nature of several top runners.

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Assuming Tyynismaa's injury occurred prior to the beginning of XC practice about a month ago, she must obviously be well along in the recovery phase and close to being able to compete given that she is in photos on Wolfpack XC official social media running at practice about 3-4 weeks ago. Hopefully, it's similar to Chmiel's situation last fall -- where she was practicing all along, and they held her out until Nuttycombe, I assume, to just be extra cautious.

Here’s where the Pack sits in the week 3 USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Polls‼️#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/Qjn4pcytaS

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) October 3, 2023

Congratulations to Kelsey Chmiel for taking home ACC Female Performer of the Week after placing second in the women's blue 5000m race at the Joe Piane Invitational with a time of 16:15.1

She went off🔥

Congratulations to Kelsey Chmiel for taking home ACC Female Performer of the Week after placing second in the women’s blue 5000m race at the Joe Piane Invitational with a time of 16:15.1‼️#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/kKghjdKsIv

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) October 3, 2023

Shout out to Leah Stephens for being honored as the Co-ACC Women's Freshman of the Week after clocking in at 16:24.0 to take fourth place in the women's blue 5000m race at the Joe Piane Invitational last week!

We see you, rook👀

Shout out to Leah Stephens for being honored as the Co-ACC Women’s Freshman of the Week after clocking in at 16:24.0 to take fourth place in the women’s blue 5000m race at the Joe Piane Invitational last week! #WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/HOl0ONPVqt

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) October 3, 2023

Track and Field News' rankings out today, have the Wolfpack at #1

https://trackandfieldnews.com/ncaa-xc-preview-2023-womens-teams/

Quote:

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NC STATE IS SEEKING the first NCAA Cross Country 3-peat since Stanford (2005-07) and their top-to-bottom depth makes them a strong favorite to succeed. With Katelyn Tuohy leading the way, there should be several members of the Wolfpack coming through the chutes early in Charlottesville on November 18. New Mexico and Alabama gave NC State a scare last year, but many of the top returners from those programs have moved to other schools. Among the beneficiaries from those transfers are Northern Arizona and Florida.

1. NC State

After winning their second-straight team title last year, NC State coach Laurie Henes noted that "you don't have to have perfection to pull it off. And we didn't necessarily have that today." And while that victory was closer-than-expected over Alabama, it's clear there aren't many flaws to speak of in Raleigh. The Wolfpack's emerging dynasty is likely to grow at Virginia, with defending individual champion Katelyn Tuohy expected to lead the way. In fact, 5 of 7 from last year's winners are returning, including Kelsey Chmiel (3rd) and Samantha Bush (15th). As if that wasn't enough, the program now also includes (since January) Amaris Tyynismaa, 9th last fall for Alabama.

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Updates regarding some of the key runners we've yet to see this year...

Tyynismaa just made a post on her Instagram account this evening with her running around the track, with Mariah Howlett running behind her. So I guess we can assume both of them are reasonably healthy, and presumably possible/likely to race at some point in the rest of the season.

Also, in a post that Brooke Rauber made on her Instagram account 4 days ago from media day photos which she captioned "pack is back!!", I found it interesting that Leah Stephens commented on the post "She back". I may very well be misinterpreting that comment, but could it possibly mean that Rauber is back to training/practice??

Nice article on Letsrun about what the team is trying to achieve this year along with what they are putting on hold to run with each other one last time.

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2023/10/the-last-dance-begins-for-katelyn-tuohy-and-the-nc-state-women/

You'll have to forgive Jon Gault for the comparison to an MJ team, but i do think its an apt comparison for the title of that doc alone.

NC State has picked up their 3rd commitment for the class of 2024 on the womens side. Spanish athlete Xela Martinez.

She carries PB's of 2:08(800 outdoors)/4:23.18(1500 indoors)/9:14(3000 indoors)/6:30(2k steeple)/16:45(5k track)

She finished 22nd in the U-20 Worlds Cross Country championships as a 17 year old.

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/spain/xela-martinez-14876679

https://instagr.am/p/CyUGqwQPjzO

It's everyone's favorite day...MEET DAY‼️

📍: Madison, WI
🏟️: Zimmer Championship Course
📊: https://t.co/Iy4YGkHxOh
📺: https://t.co/ct1bxBBI9R#WolfpackXC - #GoPack pic.twitter.com/kn5rYXp9R8

— Pack Track & Field and Cross Country (@Wolfpack_TFXC) October 13, 2023