The North Carolina track and field team competed in its second meet of the year this past weekend at Virginia Tech's Hokie Invitational. UNC returned to Blacksburg after winning three events there the week prior. The best performances came from the men’s one-mile event, which saw the Tar Heels take first, second and fifth.
What happened?
On the first day of the meet, the shining moment happened at the end of the men’s one-mile. Senior Brandon Tubby finished first with a personal best 4:04.52, and fellow senior Conor Lundy followed just behind with a second-place time of 4:04.56, also his personal best. Graduate Allen Siegler also placed highly for UNC, taking fifth place with a 4:10.49 time.
The next best performance of Friday’s men’s running events came from the 300-meter, where all four UNC entrants placed in the top-ten, two setting personal bests. Senior Ryan Saint-Germain took second place with a 33.90-second time, while first-year Craig Saddler II, junior Onyedikachi Ohia-Enyia and fifth-year senior Cameron Douglas finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. In the 60-meter, senior Isaiah Palmer finished in fourth-place with a 6.79-second sprint.
For the women, the highest Friday finishers were seniors Paige Hofstad and Mady Clahane during the 3000-meter. Hofstad finished third at 9:32.21, and Clahane logged a 9:35.20 time for fifth place.
For the field events, the Tar Heel men had a strong showing in the weight throw, as juniors Troy Yearwood and James Joycey finished second and third with throws of 19.68-meters and 19.24-meters, respectively. In the same event on the women’s side, senior Jill Shippee took fifth place with a 19.18-meter throw.
On Saturday, UNC did not compete as well during the running events, as only two runners took to the track for the 400-meter. Sophomore Matthew Harris represented the men’s side, finishing 12th with a 49.94-second effort, while for the women, first-year Brianna White finished in the same position, logging a 59.45-second time.
For the most part, Saturday’s field events went in a similar manner. Yearwood managed a seventh place finish in the men’s shot put, the team’s highest, while the sole competitor for the women, JoEllen Driscoll, fouled in her first three throws, keeping her out of the final rounds.
UNC's Saturday highlight came during the women’s long jump, when senior Anna Keefer took first with a 6.38-meter jump, which was .22-meters ahead of second-place, and her own personal best.
