University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Ways, Men's 4x400 Earn Titles at ACC Championships
May 16, 2016 | Track & Field
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ceo Ways ran 45.86 in the men's 400m to earn his first individual ACC Championship title at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday. The University of North Carolina track and field team completed the conference meet with several All-ACC honors on each team.
Ways' 45.86 was the fastest time of the season for the junior. Ways had been an All-ACC runner in the 200m and 400m, but hadn't won an individual title until today. It looked like Ways wasn't going to come away with the win, but a late surge the last 50 meters had Ways going from third to first. Ways had been a part of the the men's 4x400 that took gold the past two years.
"I'm happy with the heart that the team showed over the past weekend, said Ways. "We obviously wanted to win the meet but when it came down to it and our backs were against the wall we didn't give up and we made sure we fought until the very end. I'm proud of the team and I'm going to miss the seniors on our team very much. They set up a legacy and a precedent on this team that I and my teammates will work to carry on. I just want to thank god and my brothers for the success I had this weekend and I can't wait to see what's in store for our program.
Ways continued the streak, which seems more like tradition, of the men's 4x400 winning the title. They did it again on Sunday running 3:06.03. Javonte Lipsey, Kenny Selmon and Cory Nicholls ran the other three legs of the championship team. Lipsey also took eighth in the open 400m.
Ways also tacked on an All-ACC performance in the 200m taking third running 20.79.
Selmon and Lipsey had races before the 4x400. Selmon ran in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. Selmon finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.21 and second in the 400-meter hurdles at 50.05. Javonte Lipsey placed third in the 400-meter hurdles running 50.91.
Also earning All-ACC honors was Nicole Greene in the high jump for placing third and Caroline Alcorta in the 1500m taking third as well. Alcorta's time of 4:18.57 was a personal best.
Alcorta also ran in the women's 5000m finishing sixth with a time of 16:44.24. Josette Norris placed seventh at 16:46.77. Hannah Christen finished 13th.
Houston Summers was the first Tar Heel of the day to earn All-ACC honors. He did so in the javelin throwing 222-0 (67.68 meters) to finish third. Zach Gray threw 200-6 (61.11 meters) to take sixth.
The men's 4x100 finished fifth at 40.51 with the four legs coming from Kedrick Davis, D'Monte Farley, Brandon Reddick, and Ceo Ways.
The women's 4x400 finished sixth overall at 3:40.22. Carolina's Natisha Dixon, Jewel Christian, Kendra Douglas and Cierra Dunston comprised the team. Dunston ran the anchor leg and came from third to first in the first heat in the final 50 meters. Dunston's split was a scorching 52.51.
Lizzy Whelan took fifth in the women's 800m running 2:05.23, a season best for the fifth-year senior.
Mark Derrick placed seventh in the men's 5000m running 14:03.89.
AJ Hicks and O'Neal Wanliss each earned a point for the men's team with an eighth place finish in the discus and the 800m, respectively.
The men's team finished the conference championships with 72 points and in fourth place. The women finished in 10th with 42.40 points.
UP NEXT
The Tar Heels will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary Round regional May 26-28.
Players Mentioned
