Running into the homestretch of the women’s race, freshmen Caroline Alcorta, Hannah Christen and Josette Norris were up in the lead pack.
“It was a really cool experience,” Christen said. “Scary, a little bit. But we ran together, so it made it better.”
It’s a position the three are comfortable with, as they’re coming into college off successful high school running careers.
And in their first collegiate meet, they didn’t disappoint.
“They’re special recruits,” said Coach Mark VanAlstyne. “Everyone knows that our women’s recruiting class this year was phenomenal. So was I impressed? Yes. Surprised? No. They are who we knew they were all along, and on top of it, they’re just great people.”
The North Carolina men’s and women’s cross country teams competed Friday at the Covered Bridge Invite in Boone, North Carolina, where the men took fifth and the women placed second, just one point shy of first place.
The meet, which did not count in points toward nationals, offered freshmen a chance to get some racing experience at a collegiate level. VanAlstyne said the coaches also wanted to evaluate runners that are on the bubble for making the travel squad. The men’s team did not race any of their top seven, and the women’s team raced only three of their top seven runners, VanAlstyne said.
“First and foremost, we wanted to get some of our younger athletes on the women’s side to have opportunities for a low-key, low pressure entry into college level racing, and I think we got that,” VanAlstyne said.
Alcorta, Christen and Norris took full advantage of that opportunity, placing second, fourth and fifth respectively.