Nov. 22, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State men's cross country team finished 16th overall in the 10,000 meter race at the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday. Two of the Pack's runners finished in the top 100, with sophomore Bobby Mack leading the way with a 35th-place overall finish. Mack's finish, the best of any Atlantic Coast Conference runner, also earned him an All-America citation. The men's team total finish was the highest placement of any ACC squad.

Behind Mack, 2004 ACC Freshman of the Year Gavin Coombs placed 79th. Senior Andy Smith finished 123rd overall in his farewell collegiate race, while junior John Henderson placed 144th. Junior Wesley Smith came in 186th-place, while redshirt freshman John Crews finished 205th. 2002 ACC Freshman of the Year Bryce Ruiz crossed the finish line in 232nd-place.

The NCAA Championship brings a close to the season for the men's team, which won the District III Championship on Nov. 13 and collected a fourth-consecutive ACC crown on Oct. 30. Coombs, Mack and both Andy and Wesley Smith each collected all-conference honors, with Coombs picking up the ACC Freshman of the Year award. The race also marks the end of Andy Smith's cross country career at NC State. Along the way, Andy Smith has complied an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 ACC Freshman of the Year honor, 2003 ACC individual champion, four consecutive all-conference team selections and an All-America citation. Andy Smith was also one of 30 Wolfpack runners named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary cross country team in 2003.

NC State - 16th place - 430 points
35. Bobby Mack - 31:46
79. Gavin Coombs - 32:25
123. Andy Smith - 32:52
144. John Henderson - 33:04
186. Wesley Smith - 33:29
205. John Crews - 33:45
232. Bryce Ruiz - 34:47