The North Carolina track and field team traveled up to Blacksburg to compete in the two-day Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite Meet. While only four North Carolina players made the trip up north, the athletes nonetheless still made the Tar Heels’ presence known, with Daniel McArthur leading the way in a record-breaking performance.
What happened?
Two Tar Heels competed on Friday to kick off the team’s debut in what was their third meet at Virginia Tech this season.
First-year Isaac Young participated in the men’s 60-meter hurdle preliminaries, finishing in 13th place with a time of 8.98 seconds. Young also participated in the men’s pole vault, but he struggled and ultimately finished without a score.
In the men’s 60-meter dash preliminaries, sophomore Qhiyal Towns finished with a time of 6.86 seconds, which was good for fifth place and a qualification to the 60-meter finals. In the finals, Towns upped his performance with a time of 6.79 seconds, which marked his season best in the event, though he ultimately finished fifth overall in the race.
The Tar Heels had a better showing on Saturday, beginning with fifth-year senior Daniel McArthur. After setting a personal best in weight throw the week before, McArthur continued his spectacular performance in the men's shot put, besting his opponents and finishing in first place with a personal best of 20.59 meters. In second place was Virginia Tech's Tyson Jones, who had a score of 18.94 meters.
In the women’s high jump, sophomore Sydney Banks performed well, tying rival Duke’s Elasia Campbell for fourth place with a score of 1.71 meters. To cap off the VT Elite Meet, Young participated in his third event, the 200-meter dash, and finished with a time of 24.52 seconds.
Who stood out?
Out of the four Tar Heel players who competed, McArthur had the best performance. His score of 20.59 meters was not only a UNC school record, but it also ranked as the third-highest shot put performance in the NCAA this season.
