Friday, June 8
Eugene, Ore.
3:30 P.M. ET
North Carolina
at
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Day 3
Senior Kenny Selmon closed out his Carolina career with a record performance and earned the title of national runner-up with a new UNC record time of 48.12 in the men's 400-meter hurdles.
Photo by: Rick Morgan
Selmon Caps Carolina Career With Best NCAA Championship Finish, UNC Record
June 9, 2018 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. — The University of North Carolina had plenty to celebrate following senior Kenny Selmon's final appearance in the men's 400-meter hurdles on Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. Running a personal-best time of 48.12 in the NCAA final for the final time as a Tar Heel student-athlete, Selmon earned the title of national runner-up, his highest finish in an NCAA Championship.
He also bested the UNC record he set in the 2017 NCAA final, earned first-team All-America honors, posted the eighth-fastest time in the world this year in the 400 hurdles and moves into fourth this season in the world rankings.
"I'm elated for Kenny and Coach Abigi [Id-Deen]," UNC head coach Harlis Meaders said. "They've done such a fantastic job. It's almost a perfect end to the season, and of course, he won a RAMMY earlier this year. Kenny has been almost a perfect example of what a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina can be. He's a tremendous student and now he's an NCAA runner-up behind [Rai Benjamin] from USC who ran as fast as Edwin Moses. So just to be in a race like that and to be able to hold his composure and to have his best performance of the year at the national championship, it's truly amazing."
"Obviously, I wanted a national championship," Selmon said. "It would have been nice to have brought home the gold, but to run a 48.12 and get second – that would have won a lot of years. I'm honored and I'm very happy. I'm not mad at all about how it ended. I'm very happy to end it on my own terms like that."
Over the course of his four years at Carolina, Selmon has found tremendous success with the track and field program. Appearing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in each of his four years, he is now a five-time All-America – four times in the 400H, making the NCAA final three years in a row, and once in the indoor 4x400 in 2015. Selmon broke the 22-year-old school record in the 400 hurdles with a fourth-place time of 48.60 at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships (before breaking it again today) and was named the 2018 southeast region men's track athlete of the year by the USTFCCCA.
Selmon is a five-time ACC Champion, back-to-back in the 400-meter hurdles (2017, 2018) and three times in the outdoor 4x400 (2015, 2016, 2018), and he is a whopping 14-time All-ACC honoree.
As a freshman, Selmon advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400-meter hurdles and finished 12th overall. Then as a sophomore, he took 13th in the men's 400 hurdles semifinals at the 2016 U.S. Olympics Trials with a time of 50.76.
"We're always hoping for nothing but the best for Kenny whether it's in his athletic pursuits or in his personal pursuits," Meaders said. "He is a tremendous kid, he comes from a great family, and he's a Tar Heel. We will always be cheering for him. Hopefully, he's going to return to Chapel Hill to continue to train with Coach Abigi and really help us continue to push the team forward. We're looking for the next great Tar Heel to come in and sort of pick up the baton where Kenny left off, because it shows that Carolina is the perfect place to take advantage of both the athletic experience and the academic experience."
Though sad to hang up his Carolina singlet, Selmon looks forward to continuing what he has accomplished during his time as a Tar Heel.
"It's bittersweet," Selmon said. "UNC has been nothing but good to me. I've enjoyed every second of being in college, being part of the team, but now it's time to take my track and field capabilities to the next level. I'm excited to see where I can go."
With four athletes having earned All-America honors thus far at the NCAA Championships, junior Morgan Ilse hopes to build upon UNC's championship week triumphs in the women's 5,000 meters on Saturday, June 9th at 5:25 p.m. PT.
SATURDAY'S CAROLINA COMPETITOR
Women
Morgan Ilse – 5,000 meters
Ilse, a junior from Dunwoody, Ga., is making her first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship appearance. She will compete in the 5,000 meters after earning the final qualifying spot from the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Ilse holds UNC's school record in the indoor 5,000 meters.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 5:25 p.m. PT (Final) – ESPN
He also bested the UNC record he set in the 2017 NCAA final, earned first-team All-America honors, posted the eighth-fastest time in the world this year in the 400 hurdles and moves into fourth this season in the world rankings.
"I'm elated for Kenny and Coach Abigi [Id-Deen]," UNC head coach Harlis Meaders said. "They've done such a fantastic job. It's almost a perfect end to the season, and of course, he won a RAMMY earlier this year. Kenny has been almost a perfect example of what a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina can be. He's a tremendous student and now he's an NCAA runner-up behind [Rai Benjamin] from USC who ran as fast as Edwin Moses. So just to be in a race like that and to be able to hold his composure and to have his best performance of the year at the national championship, it's truly amazing."
"Obviously, I wanted a national championship," Selmon said. "It would have been nice to have brought home the gold, but to run a 48.12 and get second – that would have won a lot of years. I'm honored and I'm very happy. I'm not mad at all about how it ended. I'm very happy to end it on my own terms like that."
Over the course of his four years at Carolina, Selmon has found tremendous success with the track and field program. Appearing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in each of his four years, he is now a five-time All-America – four times in the 400H, making the NCAA final three years in a row, and once in the indoor 4x400 in 2015. Selmon broke the 22-year-old school record in the 400 hurdles with a fourth-place time of 48.60 at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships (before breaking it again today) and was named the 2018 southeast region men's track athlete of the year by the USTFCCCA.
Selmon is a five-time ACC Champion, back-to-back in the 400-meter hurdles (2017, 2018) and three times in the outdoor 4x400 (2015, 2016, 2018), and he is a whopping 14-time All-ACC honoree.
As a freshman, Selmon advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400-meter hurdles and finished 12th overall. Then as a sophomore, he took 13th in the men's 400 hurdles semifinals at the 2016 U.S. Olympics Trials with a time of 50.76.
"We're always hoping for nothing but the best for Kenny whether it's in his athletic pursuits or in his personal pursuits," Meaders said. "He is a tremendous kid, he comes from a great family, and he's a Tar Heel. We will always be cheering for him. Hopefully, he's going to return to Chapel Hill to continue to train with Coach Abigi and really help us continue to push the team forward. We're looking for the next great Tar Heel to come in and sort of pick up the baton where Kenny left off, because it shows that Carolina is the perfect place to take advantage of both the athletic experience and the academic experience."
Though sad to hang up his Carolina singlet, Selmon looks forward to continuing what he has accomplished during his time as a Tar Heel.
"It's bittersweet," Selmon said. "UNC has been nothing but good to me. I've enjoyed every second of being in college, being part of the team, but now it's time to take my track and field capabilities to the next level. I'm excited to see where I can go."
With four athletes having earned All-America honors thus far at the NCAA Championships, junior Morgan Ilse hopes to build upon UNC's championship week triumphs in the women's 5,000 meters on Saturday, June 9th at 5:25 p.m. PT.
SATURDAY'S CAROLINA COMPETITOR
Women
Morgan Ilse – 5,000 meters
Ilse, a junior from Dunwoody, Ga., is making her first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship appearance. She will compete in the 5,000 meters after earning the final qualifying spot from the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Ilse holds UNC's school record in the indoor 5,000 meters.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 5:25 p.m. PT (Final) – ESPN
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
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