University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Dick Taylor Carolina Cup
Carolina Hosts Duke, NC State and ECU Saturday To Open The Indoor Season
January 12, 2018 | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL - The 2018 North Carolina track and field season officially gets underway Saturday as the Tar Heels host Duke, NC State and ECU in the fifth-annual Carolina Cup at Eddie Smith Field House. The meet gets underway at 12 p.m. with the men's pole vault and weight throw, the first of 13 scored events to be contested throughout the afternoon.
The women's team has claimed the last two Carolina Cups with the men capturing at least a share of the last three. In 2017, the women cruised to a 31-point victory over the Blue Devils with 72 points. For the men, the meet came down to the final event - the 4x400. Carolina trailed Duke by five points, needing to win the event and have the Blue Devils finish outside of scoring range to secure a share of the victory. That is exactly what happened, as the Tar Heels dominated the race while Duke finished in fourth.
The event will be scored using a four team scoring format: 5-3-2-1 for individual events and 5-3-2-0 for relays.
In the opening meet of the 2018 season, 52 individuals and two relays will be taking to the track for the Tar Heels with 23 of those making their indoor debut for Carolina Saturday.
"We have a ton of young talent," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "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."
Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend. The Dick Taylor Carolina Cup is one of just two meets that the Tar Heels will host during the 2018 indoor and outdoor seasons due to construction of a new outdoor complex as well as the construction of the Carolina football indoor practice facility and soccer/lacrosse stadium taking place just beyond the doors of Eddie Smith Field House.
Carolina will also host the fourth-annual Art & Linda Maillet UNC Open on February 3.
"We will have limited opportunities for our students and our alumni to come out and watch us," Meaders said. "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."
Meet schedule, heat sheets and live results can be found here.
Also follow @unctrack_field on twitter and instagram for live updates throughout the meet. A recap of performances and results and will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of the meet.
"I don't know if they're more excited or if I'm more excited to actually get the season going," Meaders said. "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."
CAROLINA CUP CHAMPIONS
Women
2017 - UNC - 72 points
2016 - UNC - 60 points
2015 - Duke - 71 points (UNC - 2nd, 49 points)
2014 - Duke - 157 points (UNC - 2nd, 131.5 points)
Men
2017 - UNC, Duke - 41 points
2016 - UNC - 47 points
2015 - UNC - 66 points
2014 - East Carolina - 156 points (UNC - 3rd, 103 points)
GREENE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA BY FLOTRACK
Junior Nicole Greene, who will be competing in the high jump Saturday, was named preseason indoor All-America in the high jump by FloTrack. Greene has earned All-America honors for her performances in the high jump during each of her first two indoor seasons as a Tar Heel and will be looking to accomplish that feat once again in College Station, Texas, this February.
In 2017, Greene took fifth in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with a jump of 6-0 ½ (1.84 meters) to earn first-team All-America honors.Â
In 2016, Greene qualified for the indoor championships as a freshman to earn All-America honors for the first time. She ultimately finished 12th after clearing the bar at 5-9 ¼ (1.76 meters).
