2018 Indoor Season Preview

Junior Zay Paschall, a two-time All-ACC long jumper, will lead a deep group of jumps in 2018

January 10, 2018 | Track & Field

Schedule Home Meet Information Roster & Bios

By: Matt Hodgin

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina track and field program will kick off the 2018 indoor season Saturday by hosting the fifth-annual Dick Taylor Carolina Cup at Eddie Smith Field House. The Carolina Cup is one of just two meets that the Tar Heels will host during the 2018 indoor and outdoor seasons due to the construction of a new outdoor complex as well as extensive construction around Eddie Smith Field House.

Carolina will also host the fourth-annual Art and Linda Maillet UNC Open on February 3.

TWO ALL-AMERICAS RETURN

Kenny Selmon, a senior out of Mableton, Ga., has written himself into the Carolina records books in his first three seasons as a Tar Heels. The four-time All-America, ACC Champion and now Carolina record holder is the best 400-meter hurdler in UNC history. After a second-team All-America 12th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as a freshman, Selmon took third in the event as a sophomore and then fourth in 2017 en route to breaking the 22-year-old school record in the event final with his time of 48.60.

Selmon also earned first-team All-America honors for helping the 4x400 squad to a sixth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships. This indoor season, look for Selmon to once again contribute in the 4x400 with the potential to make an appearance in the 110-meter hurdles or the 400 meters.

Selmon will have a chance to become Carolina's first national champion since 2007 when the outdoor season rolls around; that is, unless Nicole Greene does so first this indoor season. The junior from Ponte Vedra, Fla., has twice earned indoor All-America honors in the high jump. In 2016, she took 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and in 2017, she claimed first-team honors after taking fifth at the indoor championships with a jump of 6-0 ½ (1.84 meters). Greene is also a four-time first-team All-ACC performer, never finishing worse than third in the high jump at an ACC Championship meet.

Both of Greene's collegiate-best jumps, indoor and outdoor, rank top five in Carolina history, but with a personal best of 6-1 ½ (1.87 meters) from 2015, she has yet to show her full potential at Carolina.

NOTABLE RETURNERS

Men
Brandon Cachon (Sprints/Hurdles)- A sophomore from Naples, Fla., Cachon earned second-team All-ACC honors in his freshman year with the 4x400 squad at the ACC Indoor Championships. He was a also a member of the 4x400 that registered the fifth-fastest time in UNC history at the Clemson Tiger Paw Indoor meet.

Logan Carroll (Distance) - Hailing from Gig Harbor, Wash., the senior is an All-ACC cross country performer. He won the mile at last year's Dick Taylor Carolina Cup and has a personal best of 4:10.31 in the event.

Draven Crist (High Jump) - Crist, a redshirt sophomore from Burlington, N.C., came to Carolina in 2016 as a multis athlete from Western Carolina but will specialize in the high jump beginning in 2018. He has a long frame and impressed the coaching staff ahead of this season after sitting out all but one meet during his freshman year.

Will Eskew (Heptathlon) - Eskew, a sophomore out of Nashville, Tenn., finished 12th in the heptathlon at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships meet during his freshman year with 4418 points, winning the 1,000 meters.

Marcus Krah (Hurdles/Jumps) - While he has yet to compete in a collegiate meet, the redshirt freshman from Durham, N.C., is an IAAF World U20 Champion and a US Junior National Champion in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal best of 13.25 in the event at the 39" hurdles. Look for Krah, who has been competing in track and field since he was five years old, to make an immediate impact in the hurdles as well as the horizontal jumps this season.

Daniel McArthur (Throws) - Out of Mooresville, N.C., the sophomore has already established himself among the Tar Heel greats in throws. He is a two-time All-ACC performer, and on his way to the first of those honors at the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships, McArthur took fourth in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 60-1 ¼ (18.32 meters) that ranks fifth in UNC history.

Zay Paschall (Jumps) - The two-time All-ACC junior from Harrisburg, Pa., is one of the leaders in the group of horizontal jumpers. Paschall took fifth in the long jump at the indoor conference meet last season to earn second-team honors. He also jumped a personal-best 51-1 ¾ (15.59 meters) in the triple jump at the Doc Hale VT Elite, a mark that ranks fifth in UNC history.

Darryl Shaw (Jumps) - Another leader of the horizontal jumpers, junior Shaw (Fayetteville, N.C.) took sixth in the triple jump at the ACC Indoor Championships last season to earn second-team All-ACC honors. His jump of 51-2 ¾ (15.61 meters) in the triple jump at the 2017 Clemson Tiger Paw Indoor meet ranks fourth in school history.

Joey Souza (Jumps) - An additional standout in the horizontal jumps, the junior from Kingsbury, Calif., is a two-time NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifier during the outdoor season. He also has the third best outdoor long jump in school history at 25-3 ½ (7.71 meters), a mark he set at the 2017 Virginia Grand Prix.

Women
Caroline Alcorta (Distance) - The senior from Springfield, Va., is a six-time All-ACC honoree, but missed the majority of the 2016-17 cross country and track seasons due to injury. After returning and impressing during the cross country season with All-ACC and All-Region honors, look for Alcorta to be a major factor at the ACC Indoor Championships.

Alex Cooke (Throws) - Out of Lowgap, N.C., the redshirt junior has high expectations from director and throws coach Harlis Meaders. In her first two seasons of competition, she has finished just outside of All-ACC honors several times at the conference championships. At the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships, Cooke finished eighth in the weight throw after finishing 11th in 2016. Her weight throw personal best of 64-9 ¼ (19.74 meters) ranks second in UNC history.

Blake Dodge (Mid-Distance) - The senior from Beaufort, N.C., finished just outside of All-ACC honors in the 800 meters at the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships, taking ninth in the event. She will also contribute on the DMR squad.

Brianna Duncan (Sprints/Jumps) - A sophomore out of Cambridge, Mass., Duncan scored at the ACC Indoor Championships in the long jump with a jump of 19-7 (5.97 meters) as a freshman and competed in the 60 meters and triple jump. Her personal best of 7.51 in the 60 currently ranks in the top five in school history.

Cierra Dunston (Sprints) - Look for the senior from Powder Springs, Ga., to challenge for points in the 400 meters at the indoor conference meet and contribute on the 4x400 and DMR throughout the season.

Anna Eaton (Pole Vault) - The junior from Cary, N.C., earned honorable mention All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as a sophomore and earned second-team All-ACC honors for her fifth-place finish in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships. In the indoor pole vault, Eaton's jump of 13-3 ¾ (4.06 meters) at the 2017 indoor conference meet ranks fifth in Carolina history.

Alexis Gannon (Jumps) - A senior leader hailing from Brookings, S.D., Gannon is a three-time All-ACC performer in the triple jump, each time earning second-team honors. Gannon will look to push that to first-team honors in her fourth year and qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Morgan Ilse (Distance) - The junior out of Dunwoody, Ga., has improved constantly and significantly in her three years with the Tar Heels. After a stellar cross country season of All-ACC and All-Region honors in addition to her second-team honors in the 3,000 meters at the 2017 indoor conference meet, Ilse should challenge for the podium this season. Also look for her to be an important piece of the DMR.

Katlin Sherman (Sprints) - Hailing from Winston-Salem, N.C., the junior has the fifth-fastest time in school history in the 200 meters at 24.03. With that time, she narrowly missed All-ACC honors at the ACC Indoor Championships in 2016, taking seventh.

Women's 4x400 - Jewel Christian, Cierra Dunston, Natisha Dixon, McKinley McNeill - Returning every member from a squad that ran the fifth-fastest time (3:37.00) in school history during the outdoor season, look for this team to be a force throughout the season.

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH

Jadon Johnson (Sprints) - A sprinter from Lewisville, Texas, Johnson has personal bests of 21.60 in the 200 meters and 47.09 in the 400 meters.

Dontavian Smith (Sprints) - Out of Roxboro, N.C., Smith was All-America twice in high school in the 60 meters and 200 meters. He also won the 200m 4A state championship as a junior and earned all-state honors three times. He has personal bests of 6.89 in the 60m and 21.45 in the 200m.

Anna Keefer (Sprints/Jumps) - Joining the Tar Heels from St. Michael Albertville, Minn., Keefer should make an immediate impact as a freshman. She was the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, is a six-time state champion and competed at the USATF Junior Championships in the long jump this past summer. She has personal bests of 20-1 ¼ (6.13 meters) in the long jump, 38-0 (11.58 meters) in the triple jump and 24.13 in the 200 meters.

Jill Shippee (Throws) - A three-time high school national champion out of Clifton Park, N.Y., comes to Carolina ready to continue her winning ways at the collegiate level. Shippee won a national championship in the weight throw as a senior, and her personal best of 65-6 (19.96 meters) would rank second in UNC history. She also has a personal best of 45-10 ½ (19.98 meters) in the shot put.

Peighton Simmons (Jumps) - Another high school national champion, Simmons joins the Tar Heels out of High Point, N.C. She is a two-time AAU champion in the triple jump with a personal best of 41-7 ¼ (12.68 meters) who will join a deep group of horizontal jumpers.

2017 INDOOR SEASON SUMMARY

Conference Finish: Women - 7th (44 points) | Men - 9th (29 points)

NCAA Finish: Women - T-41st (4 points)

All-Americas: Nicole Greene (First Team, High Jump)

First-Team All-ACC: Emily Godwin (High Jump, 3rd place); Nicole Greene (High Jump, 2nd place); Sarah Howard (Shot Put, 2nd Place); Paul Haley (Heptathlon, 2nd place)

Second-Team All-ACC: Anna Eaton (Pole Vault, 5th place); Alexis Gannon (Triple Jump, 6th Place); Emily Godwin (Pentathlon, 5th place); Morgan Ilse (3,000 meters, 5th Place); Daniel McArthur (Shot Put, 4th Place); Zay Paschall (Long Jump, 5th Place); Darryl Shaw (Triple Jump, 6th place); RJ Alowonle, Kwame Donyinah, Brandon Cachon, Cory Nicholls (4x400, 2nd place)

All-ACC Academic Team: Anna Eaton, Alexis Gannon, Emily Godwin, Nicole Greene, Sarah Howard, RJ Alowonle, Darryl Shaw

Top Performance List - Indoor

Women:
60m - Brianna Duncan, 7.51
200m - Katlin Sherman, 24.17
400m - McKinley McNeill, 54.75
600m - Lauren Moody, 1:34.85
800m - Blake Dodge, 2:07.98
Mile - Caroline Alcorta, 4:49.56
3,000m - Morgan Ilse, 9:29.08
60H - Natisha Dixon, 8:52
4x400 - 3:38.96
DMR - 11:25.76
High Jump - Nicole Greene, 6-0 ¾ (1.85 meters)
Pole Vault - Anna Eaton, 13-3 ¾ (4.06 meters)
Long Jump - Brianna Duncan, 19-7 (5.97 meters)
Triple Jump - Alexis Gannon, 41-1 ¾ (12.54 meters)
Shot Put - Sarah Howard, 55-2 ¼ (16.82 meters)
Weight Throw - Alex Cooke, 64-9 ¼ (19.74 meters)
Pentathlon - Emily Godwin, 3954 points

Men:

60m - Cameron Douglas, 6.86
200m - Ceo Ways, 21.47
400m - Ceo Ways, 46.99
600m - RJ Alowonle, 1:19
800m - Luke Peterson, 1:54.51
1000m - Will Eskew, 2:40.08
Mile - Alex Milligan, 4:10.12
3,000m - Mark Derrick, 8:24.05
5,000m - Mark Derrick, 14:10.79
60H - Paul Haley, 8.02
4x400 - 3:09.29
DMR - 10:04.74
High Jump - Joseph Ibrahim, 6-6 ¾ (2.00 meters)
Pole Vault - Bailey Frederick, 15-11 (4.85 meters)
Long Jump - Joey Souza, 24-8 ½ (7.53 meters)
Triple Jump - Darryl Shaw, 51-2 ¾ (15.61 meters)
Shot Put - Daniel McArthur, 60-1 ¼ (18.32 meters)
Weight Throw - Daniel McArthur, 57-3 (17.45 meters)
Heptathlon - Paul Haley, 5508 points