The UNC-Chapel Hill men’s and women’s track and field teams are competing in the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association Indoor Championship
The men’s team will compete in two events, while the women’s team will compete in three events.
This is the largest amount of athletes that North Carolina head coach Harliss Meaders has taken to the national meet since being at UNC. Meaders, under his second term, is excited about the meet.
Sophomore Sarah Howard, of Dublin, Ga., qualified when she threw 55-8 ½ (16.98 meters) at the Dennis Craddock Invitational on Feb. 22. At the beginning of the season, Howard’s career best was 53-0 ¾ (16.17 meters). Her throw is the tenth-best in the NCAA this year.
[aside]The national indoor meet starts Friday, March 14 and concludes March 15. Check Goheels.com for results at the conclusion of each day. Follow live results.[aside/]
Lizzy Whelan, from Toronto, Ontario, and Annie LeHardy, from Roanoke, Va., both qualified for the women’s mile. Both qualifying times were set at the UCS Invitational on Feb. 14 where Whelan, a sophomore, ran a converted time of 4:35.69 and LeHardy, a junior, ran a converted time of 4:35.94. Whelan is seeded seventh while LeHardy is seeded 10th.
The women’s DMR team was able to qualify on Feb. 27 at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championship. The DMR team came in third place at the championship and ran 11:11.69. The projected lineup for the DMR is Whelan, Cori Floyd, Mattie Blue, and LeHardy. Lianne Farber and Karley Rempel are listed as alternates
The men’s 4×400 meter relay team punched its ticket to the national meet on Feb. 22 at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The relay team ran 3:06.93, which ranks as the second-fastest time in UNC indoor history. The team consists of RJ Alowonle, Ceo Ways, Sean Sutton and Javonte Lipsey. O’Neal Wanliss and Kwame Donyinah are the two alternates.
Isaac Presson, a senior from Asheville, N.C., wraps up the impressive group of indoor qualifiers. Presson qualified for the mile on Jan. 31 at the Hilton Garden Invitational’s Camel City Elite Races. Presson took fourth in the race behind three professional runners. He is seeded 16th with a time of 3:59.23.
March 14, 2014.