With a total time of 1:39:43.20 and 114 points, NC State women’s cross country defended its throne to become back-to-back national champions.
Stillwater, Oklahoma welcomed NC State for both the men’s and women’s national championships, and to the surprise of very few, the Wolfpack women stole the show. Also unsurprising was the performance of junior Katelyn Tuohy, who set a course record with a time of 19:27.7 and crossed the finish line first in the women’s 6k to earn an individual championship.
Senior Kelsey Chmiel earned herself a top-three finish as well, placing third in the women’s 6k with a time of 19:37.1. The Tuohy-Chmiel combo deserves a lot of credit for the program’s success across the last two seasons, with both athletes solidifying themselves as NC State legends despite having time left in their careers to achieve even more.
Rounding out the Wolfpack runners in the women’s 6k, senior Sam Bush took home 15th place, grad student Nevada Mareno secured a top-30 finish at 29th place and sophomore Brooke Rauber was the 90th student-athlete to cross the line.
Head coach Laurie Henes has established a new benchmark for the program in her tenure — dominating the ACC and bringing national championships home to Raleigh. Her illustrious resume continues to improve each year, and she more than likely has a few more accolades headed her way after this weekend’s performance.
The men’s team also earned a bid to compete in Stillwater, but came short of matching the women’s success with an 11th-place finish in the 10k competition. The Wolfpack’s best finish in the men’s competition came from senior Ian Shanklin, who earned himself 38th place with a time of 29:34.5.
Northern Arizona just barely edged out Oklahoma State for the men’s national championship, with the programs each earning the same amount of points at 83, but the Lumberjack runners finished just over four seconds faster than the Cowboys.
Repeating as national champions is no easy feat in any competition. What Henes and the women’s team have been able to accomplish over the past two seasons is nothing short of incredible. Fueled by individual talent from runners such as Tuohy and Chmiel and the ever-present expertise of Henes and her staff, NC State has earned its spot at the top of the collegiate cross country mountain.
