University of North Carolina Athletics
Q&A With Track & Field Director Harlis Meaders
January 11, 2018 | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Harlis Meaders, now in his sixth season, sat down with the office of athletic communications to discuss the upcoming indoor track and field season. The Tar Heels kick off the 2018 campaign by hosting the fifth-annual Dick Taylor Carolina Cup on Saturday, January 13. The meet featuring Duke, NC State and ECU in addition to Carolina will begin at 12 p.m. at the Eddie Smith Field House located In the heart of UNC's campus.
With the cross country season completed and several weeks of full practice in the books, what are your overall thought about this team ahead of the indoor seasons getting underway?
"It's really going to be an exciting season for us, for indoor track and field. It's good to the cross country contingency back into the fold and sort of see all of the kids out working and training together. I think we've got a great chemistry going throughout the program. We have a ton of young talent, kids that are eager to put on the uniform for the first time. So, I'm excited to sort of watch those kids make their debut. It should be a fairly balanced program. We've got talent both on the track and in the field events, and particularly in the horizontal jumps we've got a lot of young talent over there. So, I'm looking to see how those kids make their debut, and some of the young sprinters. So, it's going to be an exciting meet. This is our fifth year of hosting the Carolina Cup. It's always a fun way to start off the season with a little local competition with Duke, NC State and of course ECU has been with us since our orientation five years ago."
What are the goals you have set as a team and with the individuals?
"We have had individual meetings with our kids to sort of help them set their individual goals and their season goals. Our team goal has always remained the same - to be among the best in the ACC and to be competitive at the national level. This early meet will give us a sort of measuring stick to test the temperature. I think our kids are fairly fit. There has been a substantial break with coming off of the holidays, but I'm anxious to see how we debut."
For those that have had previous success at the ACC and national levels, what do you want them to bring to this season?
"That's pretty much the senior leadership of the group. You mentioned Emily [Godwin], mentioned Kenny [Selmon] and now you mention Cory [Nicholls] and Alexis [Gannon]. Those kids have been in the program for a number of years now. They sort of know what to expect, and they've been really helpful with helping some of the young kids control some of their early energy. So, I think those kids are anxious to start their senior campaigns, and they're anxious to get started, but I think they've really done a good job of mentoring the young kids and helping us bring them along."
Is there anyone you are looking for to have a break out season in 2018?
"We're hopeful that a number of those kids can have breakout season. [Alexis] Gannon has been on the bubble a couple of times. Our male triple jumpers - Darryl Shaw was right on the cusp of getting to the outdoor championships. In the throws, Alex Cooke is primed to have a breakthrough season. So, there are a number of kids that are really capable of doing some big things for us this year. The women's mile relay team is healthy and expected to have a good season. The men's mile relay team has got a lot of young talent; so, those guys are eager to suit up. Then of course on the distance side you add back in Caroline Alcorta and Morgan [Ilse], and those guys are coming off a really good cross country season. I think their fitness level is really high."
What have you seen out of the group of newcomers?
"I like their energy. I like their enthusiasm. I like the way they are anxious to compete and eager to sort of make a mark, not only on our team, but in the conference and the national level."
Are there any freshman that you already expect to make an impact at the ACC Championships?
"I think there's a great potential for a lot of these young kids, who are really talented, to come in and shake up the ACC. So, I think the potential is there. I think their expectations are high. If we keep everybody healthy and get them out to the track and to the meet, I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a number of young kids sort of make their mark this season."
Over the past few years, the team has been really strong in the hurdles and horizontal jumps. Where do you feel the strengths are with this team in 2018?
"Those are still some of our strong areas, but we've done a good job of adding strengths in different areas. That's one of the things, that our goal has always been to be a balanced program. So, we've traditionally been strong in the long hurdles and in the high jump and then some of the horizontal jumps. We've got talent now in the short sprints. We've got more talent in the horizontal jumps. We've got some young talent in the throws, and of course our distance crew continues to get better. It's really about now having many weaknesses as opposed to really having one single strength."
What excites you about the 2018 edition of Carolina track and field?
"I think their energy. I think their energy has been off the charts. I think their focus has been really good, and I think the guys and girls are just eager to put the uniforms back on and to make a mark at the conference level and to see how many kids we can actually get to the national championship level. I don't know who is more excited. I don't know if they're more excited or if I'm more excited to actually get the season going. For us, we've been training since September, and it's just been training, training, training, training. The kids are fit, and they're healthy, and now we get to the fun part of the season where we actually get the chance to run, jump and throw against some other kids."
Only two meets this year with the construction of the new outdoor complex under way. What are you looking forward to about the time you do get to stay in Chapel Hill?
"We will have limited opportunities for our students and our alumni to come out and watch us. So, I'm hopeful that we will get a big attendance for the two home meets. The construction at the outdoor track is going along really well. It's going to be a fantastic venue once it is done, and then in the spring of '19 we're anticipating adding more home competitions to the calendar to give the locals a chance to really watch us suit up and compete. But for the two indoor meets, it's going to be great. The first indoor meet with great competition with Duke, NC State and ECU. Those guys will always come in and give us an excellent opportunity to post some great early season times."
What challenges have the construction projects brought to training and preparing for the upcoming season?
"It's been growing pains. Not having the outdoor track readily accessible and having to find alternative venues to practice and train on has had its challenges, but we've been able to get through it. I think our kids have done a good job of remaining focused, and they realize that this is part of the growing pains of really building a first-class facility, and they are looking forward to having that new facility available to call home."
You have had several additions to your staff with Coach Abigi Id-Deen and the volunteer assistants, notable Coach Jeff Gorski returning to Chapel Hill, and this has resulted in some reshuffling of existing members since the end of last season. How has the staff and the team gelled with all of the changes?
"I think it's coming together well. I think we've put people in positions to help our athletes at a higher level, and that's been a real positive. Coach Id-Deen brings in a new skill set, a lot of new energy, some new concepts, new training ideas. The kids are buying into that. Of course we added volunteer coaches Jernail Hayes and Kia Id-Deen, and those are two professional-level athletes with a wealth of experience that are helping to continue to nurture our kids. Coach Gorski is a veteran coach, well-respected throughout the community and he's been a welcome addition to the staff as well. The existing staff - Mark [VanAlstyne], Logan [Roberts], Nicole [Hudson] [and Jon Debogory] still have their strength sets. So, I think we are a better coaching staff, I think we are a more decorated coaching staff, and hopefully we will see those benefits trickle down to our kids."
What are you looking for the team to achieve in the first meet?
"The first meet is just really to shake off the rust. We want to see kids go out there, compete hard, put it on the line and really sort of help set the tone for what the rest of the season can be. There's not a lot of pressure because it's early season, and some kids are doing off events and not their primary events, but any time there's losers and winners we'd like to win."
You are in the sixth season of your tenure at Carolina. How do you evaluate your program in those six years, and where do you see it moving forward?
"It's been some growing pains throughout the six years. I think we are finally starting to gel. We've got a group of kids that are our kids that we've recruited, and we don't have many kids from the old regime still around. Now, those kids were great, and they helped us out a lot, but I think that we've had a chance to settle in at the university. I think we've sort of worked out the recruiting quirks, and I'm excited about where we're going. I think we're finally starting to catch our stride here."
Anything else?
"I'm excited to get going. Come out and support the Heels!"
