University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech Invitational
Brailsford Sets Top-Five Mark in School History
May 18, 2014 | Track & Field
ATLANTA - The University of North Carolina track and field teams competed in the Georgia Tech Invitational where Caroline Brailsford set a top-five mark in school history in the pole vault.
"Day two at Georgia Tech was a solid day for us," North Carolina head coach Harlis Meaders said. "We saw some of our seasoned athletes compete really well in tough competition. I was very pleased with the 400 hurdles as we continued to perform at a very high level. Kwame [Denyinah] in the open 400 has another 46 race and was among the top performers in the event as a freshman.
"Caroline Brailsford had a breakout performance in the pole vault. Her performance should rank her third all-time at UNC. I am very proud of her. Coach Langley has a great eye for talent and the two of them have done a great job of working together.
"We will spend the next week getting ready for the first round of the NCAA Championship in Jacksonville. We are in a very good position to qualify a large contingent of Tar Heels."
Brailsford cleared 13-4 ½ (4.08 meters) for the first time in her career and pushed past her former personal record by several inches. She now holds the school's third-best mark in outdoor pole vault. Brailsford took third in the competition and Amanda Benninghoff finished in tenth.
"Today was the perfect opportunity to pull some pieces of my vault together that I have been working on these past few weeks," Brailsford said. "It feels great to clear a new bar before we head to Jacksonville, but I think at this point all of our sights are set on the NCAA competition, and I am so excited to see what our team will accomplish at the national level."
RJ Alowonle and Javonte Lipsey had another phenomenal day as the two went two-three in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Alowonle finished at 50.43, just 0.01 seconds behind the first-place finisher. Lipsey was not far behind timing in at 50.76. Roy Smith also ran in the event and finished in ninth at 52.40.
Cory Nicholls continued his great freshman outdoor season with a new PR in the 800. Nicholls finished fourth in the event at 1:49.21.
Kwame Donyinah, another freshman with a great year, ran below 47 in the 400 and took fifth place at 46.94.
Phillip Morris finished the men's high jump in ninth place after clearing 6-4 ¾ (1.95 meters).
The track and field team will compete again in a couple weeks at NCAA East Prelims. The first round of the NCAA Championship will begin Thursday, May 29 and run through May 31 in Jacksonville, Fla. Goheels.com will have performances and results posted after each day of the meet.
Players Mentioned
