Today, N.C. State will send 17 of its best athletes to Jacksonville, Fla. to compete in the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Regional Track & Field Championships. Of the 12 female and five male athletes, five are participating in multiple events and four are ranked in the top five in the region in a particular event.
In the men’s competition, distance running will be the main attraction. Redshirt senior Andrew Colley, currently ranked fifth in the region in the 5,000-meter, will look to earn a third trip to Nationals in the event.
Redshirt sophomore Graham Crawford is not far behind the senior in the 5,000-meter rankings at No. 7. Crawford is also ranked sixth in the region in the 1,500-meter, and holds the school’s season-high in both events.
Sophomore Jonathon Addison will also look to take a trip to Nationals in one of his two events: long jump and high jump. The Raleigh native has four first-place finishes in long jump on the season and is currently No. 13 in the region.
The Wolfpack women pride themselves in their powerful throwers. Juniors SeQuoia Watkins and Tremanisha Taylor and sophomore Nicole Chavis will all be representing State in the discus throw. Watkins and Taylor rank at No. 4 and No. 6 in the event, respectively.
Taylor will also be participating in the shot put competition, and enters Regionals as the top-seeded athlete. Taylor beat her own school record in the event earlier in the season.
Sophomore Alexis Perry will look to build on her stellar year, as she will run in the 100-meter hurdles and participate in the long jump. Perry holds the school record in long jump, and is currently ranked fifth in the region.
Distance running is also a strength for the women, as junior Joanna Thompson is ranked No. 9 in the 10,000-meter and No. 19 in the 5,000-meter. Three athletes will be representing State in the 1,500-meter, including senior Emily Pritt, who has bounced back strong this season after an injury that kept her out all of the 2012-13 season.
The NCAA Regionals will take place through Sunday. The top 12 competitors in each event will move onto the NCAA Championships hosted in Eugene, Ore. from June 11–14.
