Nov. 20, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. - On Monday, Nov. 22, the No. 8 women's and No. 12 men's cross country team's from NC State will send fourteen total runners to race at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Competing at the crown jewel of collegiate cross country meets, the red and white will try to obtain head coach Rollie Geiger's goal of finishing off the season with a top 10 finish on the national level. If history serves as any indicator, the Pack seems destined to reach Geiger's goal, as 24 NC State teams have collected top 10 finishes in the program's history. Last season, the men placed 10th, while the women capped off the year with an incredible sixth-place finish.

Senior Andy Smith will captain the men's squad. Competing in his final collegiate cross country event, Smith is looking for a final hurrah to end his illustrious career running for the Pack, which includes the 2000 ACC Freshman of the Year honor, 2003 ACC individual champion, four consecutive all-conference team selections and an All-America citation. As if that wasn't enough, Smith was one of 30 Wolfpack runners named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary cross country team in 2003. Wesley Smith, Andy's younger brother, will compete in the national event for the second year. At last year's meet, Wesley Smith ran well, finishing in the 83rd spot. Also competing for the second consecutive year is sophomore Bobby Mack. Mack, who finished 54th at last year's race, finished fourth at the District III Championships in early November. Junior John Henderson and redshirt sophomore Bryce Ruiz will also hit the trail for the Pack. In 2002, Ruiz ran in the NCAA Championships and finished 110th. Current ACC Freshman of the Year Gavin Coombs will make his debut at the meet, as will redshirt freshman John Crews.

On the women's side, junior's Julia Lucas and Kristina Roth will lead the Pack's strong unit. At last year's event, Lucas finished 79th overall, while Roth placed 86th. Senior Josianne Lauber will compete alongside the junior duo for one final race at the national collegiate level. Lauber has a history of performing well at the NCAA Championships, placing 97th in 2003, 51st in 2002 and in the top half of the pack in 2001. Alongside Lauber, senior Erin Swain will also compete in her final cross country meet for the Pack. Rounding out the women's seven, three true freshman, Angelina Blackmon, Amy Kelly and Magin Kebert, will run for the red and white. Blackmon finished 15th at the District III Championships, while Kebert placed 38th. Kelly finished 56th at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in October.

The women will begin the championship event with an 11:00 a.m. start time, while the men's race will begin at 12:15 p.m.