TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – The 2021 fall season saw tons of success from freshman Tierney Wolfgram, and the freshman just wrapped up her season in Tallahassee after finishing competition in the 6k at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships.
Wolfgram finished the championships in 117th place. This placement was out 255 athletes that ran in the women's 6k. Her time of 20:35.6 earned her placement and will be the highest placement at Nationals in Wolf Pack history.
Wolfgram and Coach Elias did not come out of the race with the outcome heading in, but concluding the meet, the positivity for the two is still there.
"It was obviously not the finish that she or I planned for," Elias said. "She's an 18 year old freshman who didn't run her sophomore or junior year of high school cross country or track. She has very little experience and I think the nerves probably got to her today and she'll learn from it and be a lot better the next time she's here."
"I'm not super happy," Wolfgram said. "I was in the middle of the pack in the start of the race, and usually I find my way to the front really easily. It was a little difficult to manage, but going into other races now I know what to expect."
The freshman had an impressive resume with the Pack in her first official collegiate cross country season. The first time she's competed in a cross country season since the ninth grade. Wolfgram finished second overall in the women's 6k at the NCAA Mountain Regional in Provo with her time of 20:20.4. All-time at Nevada, the freshman became just the second Pack athlete in history to qualify for Nationals. The first member to qualify for Nationals was Abby McAlister in 2003.
The record books saw Wolfgram's name all over it in other areas. In her first meet, she received a first place finish at the USF Invitational with a time of 20:47.9. The freshman also became the first member of the Pack in history to not only run below 20:00 once, but twice in one season. The first time at the Bronco Invitational with her school record time of 19:31.2, and then again at the Mountain West Championships with her time of 19:58.6 This time earning her All-Conference second-team honors.
Elias and Wolfgram both are optimists about what the future holds for the record book holder.
"She starts the next year with a year of experience, which she didn't have this year," Elias said. "There were a lot of things that went sideways in a couple races, once she was on she was obviously a force to be reckoned with. I think you're gonna see a high rate of consistency from her when she races next year.
"I'm really excited now," Wolfgram said. "With experience, knowing what I can actually do and I now know what to expect. It will be a lot easier to at least put a good race plan together."
That concludes the 2021 fall cross country season for the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Pack will look forward to the track season where they will hold their 2022 indoor season.
