UNC track seeks conference title

Track and field is a sport of repetition.

Athletes run the same distances, throw the same weights and engage in the same rituals week after week.

But make no mistake, the North Carolina track and field team is not comfortable settling for a repeat performance of their 2009 season.

Even though last year’s 12th place finish in the NCAA women’s indoor championships was their best showing since 2005, it is not going to be good enough going forward.

Three to watch

Key players:
Vanneisha Ivy, senior
Brie Felnagle, senior
Zach Brown, sophomore

Key meets:
Feb. 25-27 ACC Indoor Championships
April 22-24 Penn Relays
June 9-12 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

“You don’t sustain that (momentum), you try to build on it,” coach Dennis Craddock said.

“If you just try to stay even and not lose any ground, I think you automatically start to lose ground. You want to reach further every time and strive for better things.”

NCAAs are not the only measuring stick for the women’s team, however.

“I think we should win the ACC championship,” Craddock said. “I’d always like that, and I always believe that we have enough talent to do it.”

The women will be led by Vanneisha Ivy, who is a returning All-American in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Tar Heels are also returning Christine Johnson, Elizabeth Mott, and Tasha Stanley — three of the four relay members who posted the third-fastest 4x400-meter relay in UNC history at the 2009 indoor championships.

Senior Brie Felnagle will pace UNC’s distance runners. The All-American placed second in the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3,000-meter in 2008.

As for the men, they are coming off a campaign in which they finished in a tie for 41st place.

Craddock believes this year will be better, largely due to the atmosphere around the team.

“The people that we’ve got now are working a little bit harder and paying the price a little bit more.”

Sprinter Zach Brown is no stranger to hard work.

He’s been recognized as one of the hardest workers in the nation ­— as a linebacker for the UNC football team.

This is his first season with the North Carolina track team, and in his first run in the 60-meter race, he finished .02 out of the parameters for an NCAA provisional time.

“Track and football are just great bed partners,” Craddock said.

“They compliment each other. With football you’ve got to have speed, and in track and field you need speed.”

Aside from Brown, the men will rely heavily on Daniel Keller and Austin Davis, both returning All-Americans.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.