University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NCAA East Preliminary Round
Men's 4x400m Qualifies For NCAA Championships
May 28, 2016 | Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Carolina track and field teams completed in the NCAA East Preliminary Round with four student-athletes earning a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Cory Nicholls helped the men's 4x400m qualify for the NCAA Championships on Saturday to go along with Ceo Ways, Kenny Selmon and Javonte Lipsey.
“Overall it was a really good weekend,” Head Coach Harlis Meaders said. “The veteran athletes performed really well. The guys in the 4x400 are in championship form. We had a couple of others compete who just fell a bit short of advancing but who competed very well in tough competition.”
“It has been a year of growth. A majority of qualifiers have been freshman and sophomores which shows the quality of our recruiting and shows our power and what we want to become.”
The men's 4x400 qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third consecutive year. Kenny Selmon, Javonte Lipsey, Corey Nicholls and Ceo Ways ran 3:06.15 to qualify for the championships. Ceo Ways had the fastest split of the group running the 4th leg in 45.77.
“The 4x400 relay is one of the more exciting events in track and field,” Meaders said. “They are a very talented group of athletes. Coach Rubin is the mastermind behind that. He recruited and trained them. There is nothing like running for your school and competing on the biggest stage.”
Mark Derrick and Logan Carroll competed in the men's 5,000m at the NCAA East Preliminary. Derrick placed 15th with a time of 14:17.95 while Carroll finished in 15:37.06 for 44th.
Josette Norris and Caroline Alcorta each competed in the women's 5,000m. Norris ran 16:22.64 to take 14th while Alcorta ran 16:57.53 to finish in 30th.
“They are young but extremely talented,” Meaders said of his 5000m athletes. “I'm looking forward to having all of them back. In championship races, times aren't what they are usually expected to be as there is a lot more strategy involved. Time isn't as important as the position. I think they ran smart races and competed very well.”
UP NEXT
The Tar Heels will send 3 individuals and the men's 4x400 relay to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. The championships will be held at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon starting from June 8-11.
Players Mentioned
