Tough Competition All Around

The Wolfpack women have done it again—bringing the NCAA XC title back to Raleigh for the 4th time in the past five years. 

At this year’s race in Columbia, MO, the packed field meant the title was up for grabs. 

And the Wolfpack made sure they took the title home. 

Heading into the meet, individual contenders ranged from freshman BYU star Jane Hendengren, to Alabama junior and defending champ Doris Lemngole, to any one of NC State’s top runners. Hendengren and Lemngole eventually broke off from the rest of the pack, making it a tight race between the two. Ultimately the defending champion, Doris Lemngole, took it home in an outstanding solo final 800 meters, breaking the tape in just 18 minutes 25 seconds.  

On the team side, the NC State Wolfpack defended their #1 ranking heading into the meet when they scored 114 points to BYU’s 130 points. 

Last year the BYU Cougars had an all-time team performance and won the 2024 title, but NC State had something extra this year to give them the advantage. 

The Wolfpack women’s first finisher was senior Hannah Gapes in 5th place. Following right behind her teammate was former VIS Creator Grace Hartman, also a senior. 

The NC State women didn’t just toe the line as individual athletes—they had their teammates on their minds at every moment. Fighting each step for one another, the Wolfpack women showed the field why Cross Country is a team sport, not an individual one. 

“We grind together every single day for moments like yesterday, and we were really able to capitalize on that. It wasn’t a perfect day for everyone, but the depth of our culture and connection showed through. That trust lets all of us run with full hearts, because we know everyone out there is giving everything they have in that same moment.”

Hannah Gapes

Bringing the Team Mindset

These women had the team at the forefront of their minds, both before and after the race. 

Heading into the meet: “It's exciting to see our trust in the team come to fruition,” Hartman shared in the pre-race press conference with Flo-Track about how NC State’s season has progressed. 

And after the race, teammate Hannah Gapes turned the focus back to her Pack, too. When asked what it meant to be a top performer for her team for the day in a post-race interview with FloTrack, Gapes said  “it's really exciting, I mean we all do this for each other… 

That’s how we came up to the top: we work hard together everyday and we enjoy the process.” 

These women also made a point to thank their teammates watching from home, putting even more emphasis on the team perspective they carry wherever they go. 

It’s clear that the NC State women see themselves as a “we” and not as just a “me.” With a stacked lineup on their roster, the Wolfpack didn’t have to worry about which of them would cross the line first. They could focus on trusting one another to get the job done.

Led by Example 

The Wolfpack women trust one another because they trust their coach. Head coach Laurie Henes cultivates a mindset of respect, hard work, and trust. 

“Our coach Laurie Henes always talks about running with gratitude and treating race day as a celebration of all the work we’ve put in. We grind together every single day for moments like yesterday, and we were really able to capitalize on that. It wasn’t a perfect day for everyone, but the depth of our culture and connection showed through. That trust lets all of us run with full hearts, because we know everyone out there is giving everything they have in that same moment,” Gapes told VIS.

The depth of the Wolfpack culture and the team carried them to success. 

Stronger Together

The Wolfpack women embody what we believe here at VIS: That women athletes are stronger together. 

Being happy for your own performance is one kind of fulfillment, but seeing an entire team grateful for and proud of each other is a completely different level. With a sport like cross country, in a meet like the national championships, having a team that can get the job done as a unit makes all the difference. And that’s exactly what NC State did this weekend.