COLUMBIA, Mo. (theACC.com) – For the fourth time in the last five seasons, NC State has won the NCAA women’s cross country national championship. The Wolfpack needed just 114 points. NC State becomes just the fifth school to win four or more women’s team titles, joining Villanova (9), BYU (6), Stanford (5) and Oregon (4).
Hannah Gapes and Grace Hartman led the Wolfpack, finishing in fifth and sixth places, respectively. The pair of juniors kept pace with one another, finishing within 1.3 seconds of each other. Gapes led the way with a time of 18:51.3, while Hartman was right on her heels, crossing the line in 18:52.6. The Wolfpack also received All-American efforts from Bethany Michalak and ACC individual champion Angelina Napoleon. Michalak broke the finish line in 29th place (19:14.9), while Napoleon took 40th in a time of 19:22.7.
The ACC also saw top-10 team performances by Stanford and Notre Dame. The Cardinal finished in sixth place as a team with 268 points, led by All-Americans Amy Bunnage and Sophia Kennedy. The Fighting Irish finished seventh, led by Mary Bonner Dalton, who finished 10th as an individual with a time of 18:58.8. Amaya Aramini also earned All-America honors, finishing in 25th.
North Carolina’s Vera Sjoberg joined Dalton, Hartman and Gapes in the top 10. The Tar Heel senior turned in an eighth-place finish in a time of 18:56.5 to earn All-America honors. In total, 11 ACC women finished in the top 40 to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors.
In the men’s championship meet, Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen, the ACC men’s cross country individual champion, finished second to lead all ACC runners. Hansen crossed the finish line in a time of 28:38.0 to pace the ACC. Virginia’s Gary Martin and Virginia Tech’s joined George Couttie both joined Hansen in the top-10 nationally. Martin, a senior, finished seventh in a time of 28:44.3, while Couttie, a junior, placed 10th, finishing the 10K course in 28:47.4.
Syracuse led all ACC teams, finishing fourth in the national meet with 212 points. The Orange were led by All-Americans Sam Lawler and Peter Walsdorf. Lawler paced Syracuse with a 31st-place finish, crossing the finish line in 29:00.6. The fourth-place finish as a team was the 11th time in program history that Syracuse earned a top-four finish at the NCAA Championship.
The Orange were joined in the top 10 by Virginia, which finished seventh with 303 points. Ethan Coleman led Notre Dame on Saturday, turning in a 28th-place finish in 28:58.8 to earn All-America honors.
Women’s Team Results
1 – NC State, 114
6 – Stanford, 268
7 – Notre Dame, 278
11 – North Carolina, 413
21 – Wake Forest, 514
24 – Virginia, 558
29 – Boston College, 647
Women’s All-Americans
5 – Hannah Gapes, NC State – 18:51.3
6 – Grace Hartman, NC State – 18:52.6
8 – Vera Sjoberg, North Carolina – 18:56.5
10 – Mary Bonner Dalton, Notre Dame – 18:58.8
18 – Silvia Jelego, Clemson – 19:03.7
25 – Amaya Aramini, Notre Dame – 19:12.8
29 – Bethany Michalak, NC State – 19:14.9
30 – Amy Bunnage, Stanford – 19:15.0
33 – Angelina Perez, Wake Forest – 19:16.1
34 – Sophia Kennedy, Stanford – 19:16.7
40 – Angelina Napoleon, NC State – 19:22.7
Men’s Team Results
4 – Syracuse, 212
7 – Virginia, 303
12 – Wake Forest, 407
13 – Notre Dame, 459
14 – Virginia Tech, 472
26 – Louisville, 584
28 – North Carolina, 603
Men’s All-Americans
2 – Rocky Hansen, Wake Forest – 28:38.0
7 – Gary Martin, Virginia – 28:44.3
10 – George Couttie, Virginia Tech – 28:47.4
28 – Ethan Coleman, Notre Dame – 28:58.8
31 – Sam Lawler, Syracuse – 29:00.6
37 – Peter Walsdorf, Syracuse – 29:03.9
39 – Elsingi Kipruto, Louisville – 29:06.6