The North Carolina track and field team has faced increasingly tough competition as the season has progressed.
This past weekend's Iowa State Classic was no different. But the Tar Heels stepped up and showed improvement across the board with multiple personal records.
Senior R.J. Alowonle sprinted to first place in the men’s 400 non-masters section with a personal record of 47.24 seconds. His time is the third-best in the ACC this year.
Redshirt senior A.J. Hicks solidified second place in the men’s weight throw with a toss that traveled 21.46 meters.
Redshirt junior Paul Haley and sophomore Kenny Selmon competed in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. The pair qualified for finals, and Haley narrowly edged out Selmon for second place with a time of 8.094 compared to Selmon's time of 8.095.
The largest part of the Tar Heels' success came from the long distance runners.
Redshirt junior Mark Derrick ran in the men’s 5,000-meter race and earned an indoor personal record by 14 seconds with a time of 14:14.41. Sophomore Logan Carroll competed in the same event in a different heat and finished first, earning a personal record by 15 seconds with a time of 14:23.05. The long distance duo currently holds the eighth- and 11th-best times in the ACC this year.
Sophomore Josette Norris set a personal record in the women’s 3,000-meter race with a time of 9:27.87 to finish 13th overall. Sophomore Stella Radford was about six seconds behind Norris after finishing with a time of 9:34.24.
