North Carolina sent athletes to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, VA and to the Duke Invitational in Durham over the weekend. The team came away with improved marks as they head into the final week of the regular season.
What happened?
At the Virginia Challenge, both the women and the men put up impressive numbers.
The youngsters on the women’s side were particularly high performing. First-year McKinley McNeill posted a season-best in the 400m with a time of 54.32, which gave her a fourth place finish out of 35 competitors.
Sophomores Nicole Greene and Anna Eaton achieved high-level marks in their jumping events. Greene secured fourth place in the high jump with a height of 1.80 meters, which is first in the ACC this season. Eaton jumped a season-best 3.98 meters in the pole vault to place fifth.
The upperclassmen were not to be out done. Veteran Sarah Howard, a senior, placed second in shot put with a throw of 16.07 meters, and junior Natisha Dixon placed 14th and 11th in the 100m and 400m hurdles, respectively.
The men had equally impressive results in Charlottesville. Junior Kwame Donyinah placed second out of 30 runners in the 400m with a time of 47.51.
Hurdlers Kenny Selmon and RJ Alowonle placed second and third in the 400m hurdles, respectively. Selmon’s time of 49.89 was a season-best.
“Kenny Selmon’s performance in the 400 hurdles . . . was probably the highest performance of the meet on a national level,” head coach Harlis Meaders said. “I think his performance and the performance by Nicole Greene . . . those performances were truly the standout performances of the meet.”
