University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Raleigh Relays
UNC Men Wrap Up a Successful Weekend at the Raleigh Relays
March 25, 2017 | Track & Field
RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of North Carolina men's track and field team concluded competition in the Adidas Raleigh Relays on Saturday afternoon on the campus of NC State. UNC athletes had six Top 10 finishes across the span of the competition.
“It was a very productive meet for us,” said UNC head coach Harlis Meaders. “The energy and competitive efforts were both really good this weekend. It was exactly what we needed to prepare for the Battle of the Blues next weekend.”
RJ Alowonle made his outdoor season debut in impressive fashion on Saturday morning, as he won the 400m hurdles in a time of 50.83. Alowonle's time currently leads the ACC and is ranked third in the NCAA. Brandon Cachon also competed for the Tar Heels, clocking in at 54.05 to take 11th place among all competitors.
“I was happy to see RJ get the win. It was a very impressive debut. RJ is an All-American in that event, but it shows that his training is going well. It bodes well for a very strong outdoor season,” said Meaders. “Brandon Cachon made his debut for us and did a solid job. I'm really happy to see him out running the 400m hurdles.”
Senior Mark Derrick closed out day one of the Raleigh Relays with a fantastic performance in the 10,000m run. Derrick crossed the finish line in 29:12.27 to secure 11th place among a stacked field of competitors. This lifetime best time currently ranks third in the UNC record book, only trailing Glenn Sparrow and John Clark. Logan Carroll also competed in the event for the Tar Heels, running a time of 30:49.96 to take 53rd place.
The North Carolina horizontal jumpers performed exceptionally well at the Paul H. Derr Track this weekend. Shaw captured third place in the triple jump with a mark of 50' (15.24m) and jumped 22' 7 ¾” (6.90m) in the long jump to earn eighth place. Zay Paschall opened his outdoor season campaign by finishing eighth in the triple jump and 11th in the long jump. In addition, RaeKwon Villines participated in the triple jump on Saturday afternoon, jumping a season best of 42' 10 ¾” (13.07m) to take 15th for UNC.
“We are happy to see Darryl Shaw returning back to form. He was over 50 feet in the triple jump today. He is coming back out and picking up where he left off from the indoor season. It was a good start to his outdoor campaign,” said Meaders.
Cameron Douglas, a freshman sprinter out of Loganville, Ga., made his collegiate debut in the 200m dash on Saturday afternoon. Douglas crossed the finish line in 21.56 to take fourth place among a field filled with nationally ranked sprinters. His time is just 0.02 seconds off of his lifetime best and is currently ranked sixth in the NCAA.
Liam Dixon cleared 4.27m in the men's pole vault to tie for fourth place with Caleb Sanford of Duke. That mark is currently tied for sixth place in the ACC.
The Tar Heels kicked off the meet on Friday morning with phenomenal performances by three freshmen in the 5000m. Jeremy Brown (14:46.04) and Matt Thornton (14:48.02) competed in heat one, where the duo both set PRs to take fourth and fifth place, respectively. Mitch Resor was just slightly behind, clocking in at 14:54.92 to finish 13th in the opening heat.
Connor Peeples returned to the track on Friday after opening his collegiate career at the Dennis Craddock Carolina Relays last weekend. Peeples was the lone competitor in the 1500m for UNC, crossing the finish line in a lifetime best time of 3:54.92 to take 54th place overall. That time is the eighth best in the ACC in 2017.
“I'm very happy with our distance runners' progress. It shows that the future could be bright for us in the middle distance and distance events,” said Meaders.
UP NEXT
North Carolina will return to competition on Sat., April 1, when the Tar Heels travel to Durham, N.C., for the Battle of the Blues.
Players Mentioned
