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PREDICTIONS: 2024 ACC XC Championships

  • Michael McKean
  • Oct 30, 2024
  • 5 min read

Updated: Oct 31, 2024

Written by Mike McKean, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin

NOTE: Without entries, The Stride Report needed to make assumptions about which athletes may or may not compete this Friday. If you see a key name missing, it is likely because they have not yet competed this season (i.e. Amy Bunnage). However, it is still very possible that the individual(s) in question could compete at the upcoming conference championship.

The already-deep ACC has become even deeper this year with the additions of Stanford and California from the PAC-12 as well as Southern Methodist from the American Athletic Conference.


That, in turn, should create an even more thrilling conference meet this Friday!


But what's arguably even more interesting is how wide-open the ACC seems to be, specifically on the men's team side and the women's individual side. With a variety of distance stars crowding this field, we can't wait to see what kind of shakeups each of these races have in store.

Men's Individual Race (8k)

  1. Parker Wolfe (North Carolina)

  2. Rocky Hansen (Wake Forest)

  3. Ethan Strand (North Carolina)

  4. Ian Kibiwot (Louisville)

  5. Cole Sprout (Stanford)

  6. Gary Martin (Virginia)

  7. Luke Tewalt (Wake Forest)

  8. Carter Solomon (Notre Dame)

  9. Lex Young (Stanford)

  10. Thomas Boyden (Stanford)

  11. Will Anthony (Virginia)

  12. Ethan Coleman (Notre Dame)

  13. Kidus Misgina (Florida State)

  14. Izaiah Steury (Notre Dame)

  15. George Couttie (Virginia Tech)

  16. Colton Sands (North Carolina)

  17. Sam Lawler (Syracuse)

  18. Brett Gardner (NC State)

  19. Aidan Ross (Wake Forest)

  20. Assaf Harari (Syracuse)


Analysis: As we enter our first conference championship with the new-look ACC, the firepower upfront makes this race one of the most anticipated contests of the weekend. Defending champion Parker Wolfe enters as the clear favorite of the field as he is expected to return to action for the first time since taking home gold at the Nuttycombe Invite in September. 


That being said, this win certainly won’t come easy for Wolfe. He’ll need to fend off the likes of multiple top-tier contenders like Rocky Hansen, Cole Sprout and his own teammate, Ethan Strand.


Hansen's ascension into superstar status was solidified with a 2nd place performance at the Nuttycombe Invite. Now, he'll look to turn the tables on Wolfe in Cary, North Carolina this weekend.


Parker Wolfe crossing the finish line at the Nuttycombe Invite // Photo via Andrew LeMay

For Sprout, the Cardinal veteran has finally clawed his way back to the promise that he has shown so many times earlier in his career. That said, he has the opportunity to take another leap this weekend. He isn't expected to contend with Wolfe, but a return to his prior peak form could spell a silver medal on Friday.


Lastly, Ethan Strand has consistently shown that he's a top-10 national threat all fall. Quite simply, we don't expect that to change this weekend.


We’d also be remiss to mention Louisville ace, Ian Kibiwot. With all of the action around the NCAA the past few weeks, we haven’t forgotten that the Cardinal’s last appearance on the grass was a valiant 4th place effort against the likes of Alabama’s Dismus Lokira, Victor Kiprop and Dennis Kipruto. Can he replicate that performance once again in a very different-looking field?


Women's Individual Race (6k)

  1. Judy Kosgei (Clemson)

  2. Silvia Jelego (Clemson)

  3. Grace Hartman (NC State)

  4. Hannah Gapes (NC State)

  5. Siona Chisholm (Notre Dame)

  6. Sophia Kennedy (Stanford)

  7. Emily Covert (Notre Dame)

  8. Gladys Chepngetich (Clemson)

  9. Brynn Brown (North Carolina)

  10. Zofia Dudek (Stanford)

  11. Bieke Schipperen (Florida State)

  12. Fatima Alanis (North Carolina)

  13. Jenny Schilling (Virginia)

  14. Savannah Roark (Syracuse)

  15. Agnes McTighe (Florida State)

  16. Gillian Bushee (Virginia) 

  17. Angelina Perez (Wake Forest)

  18. Emma Eastman (Syracuse)

  19. Erin Strzelecki (Notre Dame)

  20. Brooke Wilson (Wake Forest)


Analysis: The race for individual gold will most likely be determined by how aggressively the Clemson women push the pace. The three-headed low-stick monster of Judy Kosgei, Silvia Jelego and Gladys Chepngetich will surely aim to gap the rest of the field in an effort to eliminate fringe contenders.


What kind of tactics will the likes of Grace Hartman, Hannah Gapes, Siona Chisholm and Emily Covert employ? If they’re determined to go with the Tigers’ trio of front-runners from the gun, then we could certainly see these predictions shake up.


Hannah Gapes crossing the finish line at Pre-Nationals // Photo via Andrew LeMay

Simply put, we believe that the potential dangers of an early and aggressive pace could open the door other key names. There are a couple of other low-sticks from Stanford and North Carolina who may be in prime position to pick-off runners in the latter stages of this race.


Sophia Kennedy (Stanford), Zofia Dudek (Stanford) and Brynn Brown (UNC) have proven that they're deserving of a seat at the table when it comes to discussing top contenders. With a refined racing strategy, it's not totally impossible for any of those three women to shock the field.


Men's Team Race

  1. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

  2. Stanford Cardinal

  3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

  4. North Carolina Tar Heels

  5. Syracuse Orange


Analysis: As we analyze the team title battle, we’ll look to see if newcomer Stanford can replicate their success at Pre-Nationals.


Although the Cardinal men are a slight favorite, they will still have their hands full with this field. On Friday, Stanford will be tasked with facing a Notre Dame squad that’s riddled with talent, a North Carolina team that has one of the most lethal duos in the country and a Syracuse program that has been historically dominant at this meet.


But...what about Wake Forest?


Rocky Hansen (center left) competing at the Nuttycombe Invite // Photo via Andrew LeMay

Can the Demon Deacons take another step forward and solidify themselves as a formidable national power? We were high on Wake Forest coming into the year, but after seeing improvements from Aidan Ross and Charlie Sprott (specifically the former), they may be even better than we thought.


With two reliable low-stick scorers in Rocky Hansen and Luke Tewalt, as well as a reliable backend scoring group, give me the Deacs in what some may call a (slight) upset victory.


Women's Team Race

  1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

  2. NC State Wolfpack

  3. Florida State Seminoles

  4. North Carolina Tar Heels

  5. Virginia Cavaliers


Analysis: This race feels like Notre Dame’s to lose.


The Fighting Irish enter as the somewhat heavy favorites and are led by low-sticks, Siona Chisholm and Emily Covert. That being said, NC State won’t go away quietly. The Wolfpack women have won eight-straight ACC XC Championship titles. And while they don’t appear to be quite as good this year, their ability to peak in the postseason is impossible to ignore.


Siona Chisholm competing at Pre-Nationals // Photo via Andrew LeMay

The race behind Notre Dame includes multiple nationally ranked squads. Among those teams, we’ve liked what we’ve seen from North Carolina upfront. If they can address the gap between their backend scoring, then they’ll surprise a lot of people this weekend.


Additionally, while the Florida State women have been a bit all over the place this year, their scoring stability on display at Pre-Nationals demands respect.


Other top contending teams looking for a top-five finish include Virginia, Stanford and Syracuse.

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