Track and field credits meet success to ‘the little things’

North Carolina high-jumper Dylan Moore cleared 7 1/4 inches — or, one Tyler Zeller — to win his event Saturday at the Kent Taylor Invitational.

Not even a month into the indoor season, he was only a quarter-inch off his personal best. Moore said he’s happy, but not satisfied.

“I know I can do 7 feet 2 inches,” he said. “It’s just the little things that hold you back.”

The little things were what the Tar Heels worked on this weekend as they played host to a number of regional schools. With a sizable contingent of the team in New York at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, UNC’s sprinters and jumpers were left in Chapel Hill to finesse their form as they prepare for the ACC Indoor Championships at the end of the month.

Despite competing without some of its most accomplished athletes, UNC won 10 events.

Elizabeth Mott placed first in both the women’s 200- and 400-meter dashes and ran the second leg of UNC’s winning 4×400-meter relay team. In the women’s mile, freshman Annie LeHardy staved off UNC-Greensboro’s Kerry Hartman to win by just more than a tenth of a second.

“For what this meet was, I think we got exactly what we needed to get out of it,” assistant head coach Josh Langley said. “We kind of had some athletes in different events they aren’t usually used to.”

Even outside their comfort zones, long jumpers Jacinda Evans and Chrishawn Williams placed second and sixth, respectively, in the 60-meter dash.

Michelle Newman, who won the triple jump with a leap of 40-feet, 10 1/4-inches, said that at this point, she’s working on the minutiae of jumping more than anything else.

“With me, it’s just the little things,” she said, echoing Moore. “I’m mechanically sound, but it’s just a couple things I need to tweak. They’re keeping me away from that big jump, but it’s exciting as well, because I know what I’ve got to hone in on.”

Newman, a senior, has battled injuries throughout her career. Langley said he’s happy that the pieces are finally coming together for her.

“It’s good to see Michelle Newman being really consistent on her mark,” he said. “Usually when you see consistency that means you’re ready for a breakthrough. So hopefully in the next couple weeks we’ll see a big performance out of her.”

For much of the UNC team, this was a weekend of rest before next weekend’s larger-scale Spire Invitational in Ohio. There, Tar Heel athletes will have the opportunity to race on a fast 300-meter banked track alongside the nation’s best teams.

“Next week we’re going up against a lot of good schools — SEC, ACC schools,” Langley said. “That’s going to give them a chance to perform under pressure and get some confidence up for the ACC championships.”

Langley said that confidence is the main thing he’ll be working on with his athletes in the coming weeks.

“All these meets where they’ve established a pattern of winning and competing hard, now they take it to the next level,” he said. “So once we see where we stack up against the best of the best, it’s going to give us some confidence.”

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