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NC State women's cross country adds star runner Amaris Tyynismaa

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•01/12/23•

TheWolfpacker

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Alabama cross country runner Amaris Tynnismaa (Photo by Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Over the past two seasons, NC State women’s cross country has been working on a dynasty. The Wolfpack has won back-to-back NCAA national titles, winning the first team championships for the NC State athletics program since the famous Cardiac Pack men’s basketball squad in 1983.

Those were also the first-ever NCAA national titles for a women’s sports team at NC State.

And based on the most recent reported acquisition into the program, more trophies could be coming in the very near future.

TheStrideReport.com broke the news that Alabama star Amaris Tyynismaa will be transferring to the NC State women’s cross country program.

In 2020, Tyynismaa finished third place individually at the NCAA Cross Country Championship during the same meet that the NC State women finished in second place as a team. The Wolfpack had led the standings into champion BYU made a late push in the final kilometer to take the title.

Tyynismaa did not compete at nationals in 2021, but returned in strong form this past fall when she finished ninth place to garner All-American honors and help Alabama finish in third place overall as a team.

NC State women’s cross country is already set to return individual national title-winner Katelyn Tuohy, and could also get back senior Kelsey Chmiel should she choose to use her extra season of eligibility.

Tuohy won the 2023 Honda Award for Cross Country and is a finalists for the Collegiate Women Athlete of the Year. She also won the ACC Women’s Performer of the Year after also taking the ACC meet and the NCAA Southeast Regional, and additionally was selected as the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Women’s Athlete of the Year.

Tuohy won the national title in a course record time in Stillwater, Okla.

Chmiel, the 2021 ACC champion, finished in third place at the NCAA meet this year. She was the team’s top runner when she came in sixth place overall during the 2021 national title run for NC State.

Like Chmiel, two-time All-American Sam Bush, who finished in 15th place at the NCAA Championships this year, is also eligible to come back for one more run should she choose to use that option.

If Chmiel and Bush return and Tyynismaa makes the transfer to NC State official, then the NC State women’s cross country team would have four of the top 15 runners from the 2022 NCAA Championship meet on the roster. The top five runners for each team from the meet count towards the team’s points total.

Rising sophomore Brooke Rauber was NC State’s final points scorer at the NCAA Championship meet this past year, finishing in 90th place overall among the 254 racers at the meet. Rising junior Gionna Quarzo (122nd) also competed at this year’s national meet.

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