The NC State track and field team will kick off the indoor portion of its season this coming weekend as the Pack will travel to Winston-Salem Saturday for the JDL Kickoff.

The event will be the first of 15 indoor events on the schedule, leading up to the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships in February and the NCAAs in March. The JDL Kickoff is one of three events in Winston-Salem the Pack will travel to. NC State will also travel to Clemson, South Carolina and Blacksburg, Virginia three times during the indoor season.

Last year, the NC State men finished fifth at ACC Indoors while the women finished eighth. The Pack captured two gold medals at ACCs, from Josh Davis in the weight throw and junior Elly Henes in the 3,000-meter run.

After a strong cross country season this fall, Henes is back again to lead the Wolfpack track and field team. She is one of the conference’s best distance runners and is putting together a decorated college career. She is just one of many good returners for the Pack.

Senior Gabriele Cunningham is a strong sprinter for the NC State women and was an All-American in the 60-meter indoor hurdles last year. In the field, redshirt senior Lauren Evans returns as the Pack’s leading thrower. She was named All-ACC in two indoor events at last year’s ACC Championships.

On the men’s side, junior sprinter Cravont Charleston leads the Wolfpack starting off the season. Last year, Charleston was one of the ACC’s best outdoor runners. He was an NCAA qualifier in two events and is a four-time ACC Champion. However, he hasn’t had much experience or success on the indoor circuit.

The Pack has a few other major returners, including redshirt senior Abdur Rahmaan Kelly, but will also need to replace Davis as a thrower. Davis had a decorated career with the Wolfpack but graduated following the 2017-18 campaign.