Alcorta Runs Second-Fastest 10,000 Meters In UNC History At Raleigh Relays

Friday, March 30

Raleigh, N.C.

9 A.M.

North Carolina

Raleigh Relays Day 1

Alcorta finished second in the 10,000 meters only to the defending indoor 5,000-meter ACC champion, Dorcas Wasike of Louisville.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Alcorta Runs Second-Fastest 10,000 Meters In UNC History At Raleigh Relays

March 30, 2018 | Track & Field

Day 1 Results Photo Gallery Live Results Saturday Stream (12-2:30 p.m.)Schedule Heat Sheets

By: Matt Hodgin

RALEIGH, N.C. - The University of North Carolina's Caroline Alcorta ran the second-fastest 10,000 meters in UNC history Friday at the Raleigh Relays at the Paul H. Derr Track & Field Facility, finishing in 33:54.23 to claim second. This was Alcorta's first time ever racing at the distance, and the time is not only second in school history but also the second-fastest time in the nation this season.

Alcorta, a senior from Springfield, Va., finished second only to the defending indoor 5,000-meter ACC champion, Dorcas Wasike of Louisville, and now ranks top-five all-time in the indoor 3,000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters at UNC. Her time in the 10,000 meters is only second to Joan Nesbit, who ran 32:54.19 in 1984.

"Joan was a star," distance coach Mark VanAlstyne said. "Her record is still stratospheric to us, and ultimately I think both Caroline and Morgan [Ilse] can run faster. Whether or not they can approach that, I don't know, but to be sitting second with all of the great runners that have come through Chapel Hill — I think it says something about that accomplishment."

Also in the distance events, junior Morgan Ilse (Dunwoody, Ga,) won her section of the women's 1,500 meters in a personal-best 4:20.57, holding off the challenging pack down the final straightaway. She ultimately placed 10th out of 136 competitors across 10 heats. Her time is second in the ACC so far this season and ranks top-20 in the NCAA.

"I think they have picked up right where they left off in indoors," VanAlstyne said, "It was just unfortunate that the end of indoors was marred by a little bit of sickness, but they are both incredibly fit, they are tough competitors and that's what we saw out here today."

In the field events, sophomore Daniel McArthur (Mooresville, N.C.) captured his second victory in the men's shot put this season, throwing for 58-10 ¾ (17.95 meters) on his final attempt to finish over a meter ahead of the field. McArthur also threw farther with each of his throws, and four of his six attempts were farther than the next best thrower in the competition.

"It has been a tough week of training for him," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "I was happy to see him get a good throw off today. He's been a bit more consistent, and he will be ready, hopefully, for a bigger throw as we move into the middle of the season."

Redshirt-sophomore Draven Crist (Burlington, N.C.) jumped an outdoor personal best of 6-10 ¾ (2.10 meters) in the invitational section of the men's high jump to tie for second out of the collegiate competitors and tie for fifth overall. His jump is currently fourth in the ACC and top-20 in the East region.

"It was good to be close to home," Meaders said. "We are still waiting for the completion of our facility, but to compete here at N.C. State, we got to sleep in our own beds, and that was great."

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• Casey Greenwalt, Alex Milligan and Luke Peterson all ran personal bests in the 1,500 meters. Greenwalt ran 4:48.56 in the women's 1,500, and in the men's race, Milligan ran 3:50.53 and Peterson clocked 3:58.51.

SATURDAY PREVIEW
The meet will resume Saturday with the women's hammer at 9:45 a.m. and the third section of the men's 10,000 meters at 10 a.m. Events to be contested on Saturday will include the 200 meters, 800 meters, 10,000 meters (third section), 400-meter hurdles, 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, 4x1500, triple jump, hammer, javelin, and the women's pole vault.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Admission to the Raleigh Relays is free for all fans. Free parking is available in the Reynolds Coliseum Deck, which is located at Jenson Dr. Raleigh, NC 27607.

A portion of the meet will also be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Saturday's portion of the meet will be streamed from 12-2:30 p.m.

Links to the livestream:
March 31, 12-2:30 p.m. — http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3337249/raleigh-relays

Live Results: Live results are provided by FlashResults.com — http://flashresults.com/2018_Meets/Outdoor/03-30_RaleighRelays/

A full schedule of events, heat sheets and a link to live results are also available at GoHeels.com.

Fans can follow @unctrack_field on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the meet. UNC Track & Field is also on Facebook. A recap of performances and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of competition.

TAR HEEL SCHEDULE
WOMEN
Saturday - Field
Hammer (9:45 a.m.)