NCAA XC Countdown #25: NC State Women and Columbia Men

Jul 29, 2013 by Isaac Wood

For the next month, The Wood Report will be counting down projected team finishes in this year's NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, IN. Make sure to stay up-to-date with The Wood Report throughout the season. You should follow Isaac Wood on Twitter, too.

View the full NCAA Top 31 Countdown HERE.

#25

North Carolina State Women

Head Coach: Laurie Henes (8th Season)

2012 National Finish- N/A

Key Returners from 2012

Laura Hoer (Sr., 9:33 Open 3k,16:29)
Joanna Thompson (Jr., 16:13, 33:49)
Samantha George (So., 4:25, 9:38)
Samantha Norman (Sr., 4:27, 10:15 3k Steeple)

Season Preview

After being one of the first teams not to qualify for the 2012 National Championships in Louisville, NC State returns in 2013 with stronger, more experienced runners, and one harrier ready to finish off her career the right way.

A third place finish in any regional championship does not necessarily always mean you will advance to the big dance, but generally if you have planned the season correctly and earned enough credential points, your team moves on. In the case of NC State in 2012, they just did not have enough points to get their squad there. Now motivated more than ever before this Wolfpack is loaded with veterans that should be able to do just that.

Joanna Thompson is the teams returning leader after a quite successful and break-out year as a sophomore. Thompson was able to place high in the ACC and Southeast Regional championships for the Pack. Thompson also had a very good track season turning in nice times in the 5k and 10k which generally proves to be a good sign the following cross country season.

The two Samantha's, George and Norman, are also very experienced cross country runners with solid track credentials, that will be essential to this teams success. There is nothing more important than having a front-runner and a pack to follow that can keep the spread tight. George and Norman will be counted on to do just that. The two runners come from different sides of the distance running spectrum George more of a mid-distance type, and Norman more of a 5k runner, but both will need to step up in order for this team to make a splash at NCAAs.

The darkhorse of this team is Laura Hoer. Now some of you may not have heard of Hoer because she has been off of the radar for a few years battling injuries. Hoer is back for her senior year and is capable of some outstanding things. She has been All-American (2010), the Southeast Regional Champion (2010), All-Southeast Region (2010, 2011) and boasts some very quality track PRs.

For the Wolfpack to make a legitimate push to qualify out of the Southeast Regional in 2013, Hoer will need to be healthy and use her strong xc racing experience to help push the pace up front with Joanna Thompson. With Duke being loaded and William and Mary also very good, NC State will need to earn the points necessary to move on.

Hopefully 2013 is not a repeat of 2012 and the Wolfpack can run well early on and do what is necessary to get this quality program back to Terre Haute in November.

#25

Columbia Men

Head Coach: Willy Wood (20th Season)

2012 National Finish- 17th

Key Returners from 2012

Jake Sienko (Sr., 14:20, 29:55)
Daniel Everett (Jr., 3:42, 13:57)
Nico Composto (Sr., 14:13, 29:42)
Byron Jones (Sr., 3:45, 14:41)
John Gregorek (Sr., 3:42 1500m, 8:52 3k Steeple)
Joe Kotran (Sr., 8:11 Open 3k, 8:55 3k Steeple)

Impact Recruits/Transfers

Jack Boyle (Fr., 2 X NXN Nat'l Finalist, 8:55 3200m)
Max Norris (Fr., Foot Locker Finalist '12 (17th), 4:12 1600m, 8:25 Open 3k)

Season Preview

At first glance the reigning Northeast Regional runners up do not look like they should be that good in 2013. Only three of their top seven return from their 17th place team at nationals (program's all-time best) and two of the three were their no. 6 and 7. But after reading the load of guys coming back in the "key returners" section above, one can see how they could be just as good if not better than the 2012 team.

Somehow, especially recently, Willy Wood has done an incredible job putting together quality cross country programs, and now with experienced xc runners Nicole Blood and Delilah Dicrescenzo (that names sounds familiar) as assistant coaches, they will bring even more insight and experience to add to an already solid coaching staff.

Jake Sienko is the returning top dog for the Lions and is going to be a good no. 1 runner in his senior year. Sienko was a proven 1-3 man for Columbia last season and always ran well when it mattered.

Daniel Everett did not have the most amazing xc season in '12, but turned it around in track where he ran very good PRs of 3:42 1500m and 13:57 5000m. If these times can translate to solid cross country performances, Columbia all of a sudden has a good 1-2 punch.

Tack on a slew of other veteran runners with good track credentials and this team could be one of the most underrated teams in the country going into the 2013 season, especially as depth is concerned. It will be interesting to see how John Gregorek and Joe Kotran do in xc coming off of the best track seasons of their careers. Nico Composto is a veteran xc runner and will be needed to solidify their 1-5 pack.

To add to this already deep program are a ton of good prep runners coming to the Big Apple to compete for Columbia. The best of these is Jack Boyle who is a sub-9 minute 3200m kid (8:55) and was the no. 1 runner on one of the country's perennial powers Christian Brothers Academy. This kind of of quality post-season high school cross country experience will aid his ability to be a scorer for the Lions.

Considering all of this it seems likely that Columbia could prove this #25 ranking as way too low and make big jumps in the rankings as the season wears on. The only thing holding them back is the likelihood of a tough, tough Northeast Regional with Syracuse and Iona returning many of their big guns. Columbia barely beat out Syracuse for the auto-qualifier in 2012 and will need to have a very good regional to make the Big Dance automatically.

But do not doubt these Lions, they are re-loaded and very dangerous.