Track & Field 2k22: North Carolina State Preview

Yes it is early, but we are kicking off the "Track & Field 2k22" season. The theme of the season is "Rise of the Woman." The meaning of the theme is that it is simply time. It is time for women's sports to have a serious space in the minds of sports fans. We are not comparing women's sports to men's sports. Women's sports are unique and show everyone that times are progressing and anything is possible.

North Carolina State placed fifth at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and eighth at the indoor conference championship meet. The Wolfpack has a strong collection of distance runners led by senior Hannah Steelman. A native or Orono, Maine, Steelman ended her 2021 indoor season by finishing eighth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She had a successful outdoor season as well placing first in the 3,000 meters steeplechase and second in the 5,000 meters at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She qualified for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in the 3,000 meters steeple chase after placing third at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

Prior to 2021, Steelman competed at Wofford where she was third in the 2019 NCAA 3,000 meters steeplechase final. She also placed eighth that year in the NCAA 5,000 meters final. During the indoor season in 2019 she qualified for the indoor 3,000 meters final and finished eighth there as well.

Sophomore Katelyn Tuohy and senior Savannah Shaw were also productive runners last season. Tuohy competed at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the distance medley relay where her team placed seventh in the final. She finished third in the 5,000 meters and seventh in the 1,500 meters at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Shaw placed fourth at the ACC outdoor meet in the 5,000 meters before qualifying for the NCAA championship final by placing seventh at the NCAA East Preliminary Round. She placed 16th in the 5,000 meters final at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

Dominique Clairmonte held up her end of the distance success at North Carolina State by placing third at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000 meters when she ran a career best time of 32:50.80. In 2019 Clairmonte was third in the 5,000 meters at the ACC outdoor meet.

Anna Vess had a strong indoor season. The grad student from Fairview, North Carolina scored a third place finish in the mile and was a member of the winning distance medley relay squad at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. In 2020 she was on the distance medley relay team that placed third at the ACC Indoor Championships.

Junior Akira Rhodes was second at the ACC outdoor meet in the 100-meter hurdles with a career best time of 13.06. During the indoor meet, Rhodes scored points for North Carolina State by finishing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles. She qualified for the Olympic trials where she ran a time of 13.39.

Another athlete to watch for the 2022 season is Brandi Hughes, who earned a late season win in the 100-meter hurdles at the Aggie Classic Twilight meet. Prior to attending North Carolina State, she competed for Tulane where she was third in the 60-meter hurdles in The American Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2020 and runner-up in 2019. In 2018 she was the 60-meter hurdles champ at the American Indoor Track & Field Championships after placing third in 2017.

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