Members of the North Carolina track and field team competed in the NCAA Championships from Wednesday through Saturday in Austin, Texas. Redshirt first-year Madison Wiltrout and redshirt junior Nicole Greene won first team All-America honors, while the men’s 4x400 relay earned second team All-America honors.
What happened?
The men’s 4x400 relay team kicked off the event for the Tar Heels on Wednesday, composed of sophomore Isaiah Palmer, junior Ari Cogdell, sophomore Jadon Johnson and sophomore Ryan Saint-Germain. The team placed 10th out of 22 teams with a time of 3:05.11, a season best, to earn second team All-America honors for the season.
Adverse weather conditions on Thursday pushed back the women’s javelin toss to Friday. Wiltrout, however, still performed at the exceptional level she has all season, as she threw for 181 feet and one inch and placed third in the event. This mark gave Wiltrout a first team All-America honor.
The last event for the Tar Heels was the women’s high jump Saturday afternoon. Greene continued to excel in the event as she has done all season for North Carolina. With a jump of 6 feet 1.5 inches, Greene placed a close second and missed first place by half an inch. Greene's jump earned her first team All-American honors, however.
Who stood out?
Every athlete North Carolina sent to the NCAA Championships walked away with All-American honors. The men’s relay team was named second team All-American with its 10th place finish Wednesday, while Wiltrout and Greene were named first team All-Americans Friday and Saturday, respectively. Greene’s second place in the women’s high jump was the best finish in an outdoor event by a Tar Heel since 2006.
When was it decided?
After Greene and her opponent failed to clear the six feet, 2.75 inch mark, a jump off started to crown an NCAA champion. On her second jump, Texas Tech's Zarriea Willis cleared the mark and earned first place, while Greene placed a close second and missed first by half an inch.
