Northside's Adams joining Wolfpack track team

 Danielle Adams didn't plan this four years ago.

But it's not as if she is complaining about getting a track and field scholarship to attend North Carolina State University. Rather, the academically and athletically gifted Adams just never thought she would be heading in this direction when she was a freshman at Northside High School.

"I torn my ACL during that basketball season, so that's why I picked up track, (to rehab) it," she said. "Also, after basketball I didn't have any other sports, and playing sports is the main reason my grades stayed up because you can't play if you have bad grades.

"I also wanted to do track to stay active, so I got interested in it, and when I did well my confidence went up."

It sure did. As a result, Adams not only earned a scholarship to join N.C. State's track and field program, she also made a name for herself in the area as one of the sport's better performers.

Adams graduated from Northside with two state championships in the high jump. Her first came in her sophomore season and, after placing second in the event as a junior, she reclaimed the title this spring with a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches. Her senior year also saw her place second at state in the triple jump.

No wonder the Wolfpack was so interested. Her feelings about the Raleigh-based school were mutual and she signed her national letter of intent in early May.

"North Carolina at Wilmington was my second choice and I also looked at UNC-Pembroke, more so for academics," Adams said. "I heard there is a lot of competition from the ACC (at N.C. State), the coach has a good personality, and I feel like I will get a lot of exposure.

"And plus, it looks good on a resume for grad school that I went to N.C. State."

Northside head coach Joe Womack believes N.C. State is a natural fit for Adams.

"They have a good program and their coach does a great job with the kids," he said. "He has kids who will push Danielle, but she is a natural athlete and she works hard."

Adams, the 18-year-old daughter of Tony and Dedra Adams of Jacksonville, looks to major in biology. And while she already has majored the high jump, she said the Wolfpack coaching staff will look at her as a possible heptathlete, a role in which an athlete will perform the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, the long jump, javelin throw and the 800.

"First and foremost I have to get in the weight room and condition because you do some running in the heptathlon," said Adams, who finished second in the triple jump and third in the high jump in the recently completed Down Under Games in Australia. "I do look at myself as a good athlete, but I don't know which parent that comes from."