North Carolina
Dick Taylor Carolina Cup
Tar Heels Excel In Sweep Of The Carolina Cup
January 13, 2018 | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILLÂ - The University of North Carolina track and field teams kicked off the 2018 indoor season by winning both titles of the Dick Taylor Carolina Cup at Eddie Smith Field House over Duke, NC State and ECU Saturday. The women scored 60 points, winning by 20 points over the Duke, and the men claimed a 12-point victory over the Blue Devils.Â
The women won their third-consecutive title in the event with the men claiming at least a share of the title for the fourth-straight time in the Carolina Cup's five-year history.
Sophomore Brianna Duncan (Cambridge, Mass.) brought a roar to Eddie Smith Field House in the second-heat of the 60 meters when she broke the 20-year-old school record in the event with her time of 7.38. Duncan came into the meet tied for the fifth-fastest time in school history at 7.51, but it only took her one race to break Crystal Cox's record.
Then, in the 60m final, Duncan did it again. Sprinting down the track in 7.29, not only did she break her own record from earlier in the afternoon, but that time is also the fastest in the ACC and tied for the second-fastest in the country.
In the race just before Duncan's, Marcus Krah, a redshirt-freshman from Durham, N.C., made his presence known to college track. In what was his collegiate debut, the junior world champion won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.92. That time ranks top-15 in the country, top-six in UNC history and it is the second-fastest time run in the ACC this season.
Those races were two of the best highlights from the afternoon, but junior Nicole Greene (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) produced perhaps the loudest reaction of the day from those at Eddie Smith. Greene had not set a personal-best in the high jump since her final meet as a high school senior in 2015, but Saturday she cleared 6-2 (1.88 meters) to eclipse her previous best of 6-1 ½ (1.87 meters). That mark is the best so far this year in the country, and it pushed Greene past her coach, Nicole Hudson, into a tie for second in the Carolina record books.
"I'm really happy with the overall performances for our kids today," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "It was an early meet, but I think everyone came out and competed really hard. Some of the performances were truly exceptional. Nicole Greene with the 6-2 jump, becoming the number two jumper all-time here at the University of North Carolina behind Olympian and former American-record holder [Tisha Waller]. That's really a big jump for this time in the season, so I think coach Nicole Hudson has done a great job with her. Brianna Duncan, in the women's 60-meter dash, was a really excellent first race of the season. It's been a while since we've had a sprinter of her caliber here. So, she's done a fantastic job, and that's working with coach Abigi [Id-Deen] and coach Kia [Id-Deen]. A really good job there. And then Marcus Krah, Marcus Krah was the world junior champion in the 110-hurdles, but he hasn't raced in over a year. But to come back for his first collegiate race and have his time, I thought that was truly exceptional."
Other highlights from the Dick Taylor Carolina Cup:
Women
• Senior Cierra Dunston (Powder Springs, Ga.) won the 200 meters in 24.75, and senior Jewel Christian (Woodbridge, Va.) set a personal best of 25.34 in the event, taking fourth.
• Senior Blake Dodge (Beaufort, N.C.) won the 800 meters in 2:13.07.
• Senior Caroline Alcorta (Springfield, Va.), junior Morgan Ilse (Dunwoody, Ga.) and sophomore Erin Edmundson (Prospect, Ky.) went 1-2-3 in the mile run. Alcorta won in 4:50.97, Ilse took second in 4:52.36 (personal-best) and Edmundson finished third in 4:54.00 (personal-best).
• Alcorta and Ilse also took the first two places of the 3,000 meters with Alcorta winning in 9:51.47 and Ilse finishing just behind in 9:52.27.
• The women's 4x400 of McNeill, Christian, Dixon and Dunston won in 3:48.37.
• Sophomore McKinley McNeill (Winston-Salem, N.C.) took second in the 400 meters with a time of 57.20.
• Senior Natisha Dixon (Marietta, Ga.) took second in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.50.
• Redshirt-junior Alex Cooke (Lowgap, N.C.) and freshman Jillian Shippee (Clifton Park, N.Y.) took second and third, respectfully, in the women's weight throw. Cooke threw 62-0 ¼ (18.90 meters), and Shippee threw for 59-10 ¼ (18.24 meters).
• Junior Anna Eaton (Cary, N.C.) finished third in the pole vault at 12-3 ½ (3.75 meters).
• In her collegiate debut, Anna Keefer (St. Michael Albertville, Minn.) jumped 18-9 ¼ (5.72 meters) in the long jump to finish third.
Men
• Freshman Ryan Saint-Germain (Jacksonville, Fla.) won the 200 meters in 22.46. Freshman Jadon Johnson (Lewisville, Texas) finished third in 22.51.
• Junior Amari DeVaughn (High Point, N.C) won the 400 meters in 48.73 with sophomore Brandon Cachon (Naples, Fla.) finished just behind in second in 50.28.
• Redshirt-freshmen Brodie Modini (Queensland, Australia) and Alex Milligan (State College, Pa.) finished 1-2 in the 3,000 meters. Modini won the race in 8:27.09, a personal best, and Milligan took second in 8:27.88, his first time competing in the event.
• Redshirt-freshman Bailey Frederick (Waxhaw, N.C.) finished second in the pole vault with a jump of 15-9 (4.80 meters).
• In his collegiate debut, freshman Dontavian Smith (Roxboro, N.C.) took third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.88, a personal best.
• Junior Darryl Shaw (Fayetteville, N.C.), freshman Carson Pledger (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior RaeKwon Villines (Mebane, N.C) went 1-2-3 in the triple jump.
NEXT UP: The Tar Heel multis athletes will compete in the Clemson Invite Jan. 19-20 with the majority of the team competing against a nationally-competitive field at the Notre Dame Invite on Jan. 20. Follow the Tar Heels at @unctrack_field on twitter and instagram for updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
