The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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26 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK GABRIELE CUNNINGHAM & CRAVONT CHARLESTON Junior and Sophomore Track & Field Both junior Gabriele Cunningham and sophomore Cravont Charleston made quick impacts after coming to NC State from Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek. It's only fitting that the duo made noise while representing the U.S. together in Trujillo, Peru, at the 2017 Pan America Junior Track & Field Championships in July. Each competed in the 4x100-meter relay, and each helped their squad win the gold medal. Cunningham ran the opening leg of the race and added a bronze medal in the women's 200-meter dash, becoming the first Wolfpack athlete to win an individual Pan Am Juniors medal since 2013, when Alexis Perry won gold in the 100-meter hurdles. It continues a strong summer for her. She also set NCSU records in the 100 (11.26) and 200 (23.26) at the 2017 USATF Junior Championships in June, placing sixth and second, respectively, in the races. The marks portend big things for the junior, who was a second-team All-ACC honoree as a freshman and two-time NCAA East Preliminary qualifier last season (100 meters, 100-meter hurdles). She is also tied for the fastest indoor 60 meters in program history entering her third year on campus. Meanwhile, Charleston is continuing to build off of his stellar first year in Raleigh that concluded with him being named the MVP of the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Champion - ships and the league's 2017 Outdoor Male Rookie of the Year. He won a silver medal during the indoor season in the 60-meter dash, then claimed a pair of individual gold medals and was on the winning 4x100 relay squad during his outdoor debut, before a knee injury slowed him down at NCAA East Regional. However, he's clearly back to full strength, evidenced by his performances this sum- mer. Charleston clocked a 21.10 to place third in the junior 200 meters at the USA Track & Field Championships in late June, finishing 0.15 seconds behind classmate and runner-up Dylan Peebles. Charleston also finished third in the junior 100 to earn a spot on the 4x100 relay squad at the Pan Am Championships, where he ran the second leg and helped the U.S. cross the finish line first. Two others youngsters represented NC State in Peru — Peebles, who missed the finals by one place after finishing third in his heat for the 200, and redshirt freshman Tim Bason, who won the USA title in his first-ever 3,000-meter steeplechase and then placed seventh at the Pan Am Championships. — Ryan Tice/Photo Courtesy NC State Media Relations wolfpacker spotlight