University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NCAA Prelims
Five Move On At NCAA Opening Round
May 24, 2013 | Track & Field
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Carolina advanced five Tar Heels to the quarterfinals of their respective events at the NCAA East Preliminary putting them one step closer to the NCAA National Championships.
RJ Alowonle raced a new personal best 51.03 to place second in his heat of the men's 400-meter hurdles. He automatically advanced to the next round and will race at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Alowonle now ranks fifth in the Carolina school records for the 400-meter hurdles with today's race and is seeded seventh in the quarterfinal.
Clayton Parros ran a personal best 45.73 in the men's 400, a time that ranks him fourth all-time in the UNC record books. He automatically advanced to the quarterfinals and will take the track on Friday at 6:15 p.m. Parros' time is seeded seventh.
Elizabeth Whelan advanced to the quarterfinal for the women's 800 as she paced herself to a 2:06.40 finish. She will race as the 16th-seeded runner at 7 p.m. on Friday.
O'Neal Wanliss ran the men's 800 in 1:50.00 to finish 17th on the day. He advances to the quarterfinal and will race on Friday at 7:15 p.m.
Lianne Farber battled a tight pack in the women's 1,500 and earned her spot in the quarterfinal with her time of 4:19.59. She will race on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Competition at the NCAA East Preliminary continues on Friday beginning with the women's hammer throw at 10 a.m. featuring Tar Heel Avana Story. In addition to Thursday's quarterfinals qualifiers, Carolina will also see action for the first time at the opening round from Houston Summers in the men's javelin, Cameron Overstreet in the women's pole vault, Chris DiLorenzo in the men's shot put, Ariel Roberts and Tory Kemp in the women's high jump, Devon Carter in the men's 110 hurdles, and Steve Magnuson in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
The top twelve competitors from each event at the East Prelim will advance to the NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 5-8. A complete schedule of events for the first round of Carolina's region is available here. Live results can be found here.
