University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, May 23
Jacksonville, Fla.
All Day
North Carolina
vs
NCAA East Preliminary Round
Nicole Greene
Photo by: Kendall Harden
Greene, Wiltrout Punch Tickets To NCAA Championships
May 23, 2019 | Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — North Carolina's Nicole Greene and Madison Wiltrout punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with top-12 finishes at the NCAA East Preliminary Round on the campus of the University of North Florida at Hodges Stadium on Thursday. Greene, a redshirt junior from Ponte Vedra, Fla., advanced to her first-ever outdoor national championships with a height of 5-10 3/4 (1.80 meters) in the women's high jump while Wiltrout, a redshirt freshman from Connellsville, Pa., secured her first bid to the NCAA championship stage with a fifth-place mark of 169-7 (51.69 meters) in the women's javelin.
"It was an exciting day on the track," head coach Harlis Meaders. "We had a lot of really good things happen… Nicole Greene will return to the national championships after redshirting the last indoor and outdoor seasons. She's jumped really well all year, and I'm so excited for Madison Wiltrout to make her first NCAA appearance in Austin, Texas after winning the ACC Championship in the javelin. Really happy with the way our kids are competing, and I think they are handling the moment really well. I'm excited to see we still have more opportunities to advance people to Austin."
Greene is a three-time All-American competitor in the indoor high jump and was the 2018 NCAA Indoor national champion before redshirting the 2018 outdoor and 2019 indoor seasons. Greene will enter the NCAA competition ranked second in the nation after jumping for a Lannigan Field facility record at the ACC Outdoor Championships — 6-2 (1.88 meters).
Wiltrout holds the school record for North Carolina after throwing 182-5 (55.60 meters) to win the women's javelin ACC title earlier this season.
Three Tar Heels advanced to the quarterfinals in their events on the opening day of the NCAA East Prelims. Sophomore Anna Keefer qualified for the next round of the women's 100 meters with her time of 11.51 seconds and will compete Friday in hopes of contuining her season in the 100. Keefer will also make an appearance in the first round of the women's 200 meters (7:30 p.m.). Juniors Alex Milligan and Brandon Tubby powered through the final 100 meters of their 1,500-meter heat, clocking 3:53.91 and 3:53.97 to move onto the men's quarterfinals on Saturday (6:45 p.m.).
"You have to give our assistant coaches credit," Meaders said. "Jeff Gorski has done a fantastic job returning to his alma mater to coach. It's been a long time since we've had a qualifier in the women's javelin so I'm really excited about his success with Madison. Nicole Hudson continues to impress with Nicole Greene – she's done a fantastic job — and I think Coach Lockhart and Coach McDonough have had amazing progress with our men in the 1,500. They've really coached those kids up and they've become really smart runners. Having Coach Kia [Id-Deen] and Coach Abigi [Id-Deen] working with Anna has also been great to watch. They're quite the dynamic duo there and Anna's gotten better each year."
Though sophomore Isaiah Palmer wrapped up his season of individual events, the two-time ACC champion may have a shot at qualifying for the NCAA Championships with the men's 4x400 relay on Saturday (9:45 p.m.). Palmer finished 32nd with a time of 47.10 seconds in the first round of the men's 400 meters on Thursday.
With spectacular seasons under their belts, four North Carolina student-athletes closed out the year in Jacksonville.
"We are disappointed that Jill Shippee didn't advance," Meaders said. "It's been a phenomenal year for her and I'm really proud of the work she's done. Today was just a really unfortunate turnout and nobody feels worse than she does. Unfortunately, that's part of our sport and we'll learn from it, get stronger and get ready for the University Games in Italy."
Over the course of 2019, sophomore Jill Shippee set an ACC league record, broke an ACC championship meet record, won an ACC title and set the North Carolina school record three times — all in the women's hammer throw. Her lifetime-best mark of 224-3 (68.36 meters) at the ACC Outdoor Championships established her as a force to be reckoned with, and the Clifton Park, N.Y. native will be back next year looking to take her season to the final stage.
Graduate student Alex Cooke hangs up her Carolina jersey after five years with the Tar Heel track & field team. An All-ACC competitor in the women's weight throw, Cooke threw 191-3 (58.29 meters) to finish 28th in her final women's hammer throw competition.
Freshmen Maiah Walker and Emily Malone also capped off promising opening seasons. Walker, a native of Lake Wales, Fla., finished sixth for All-ACC honors in the women's 400 meters and placed 35th at her first NCAA East Prelims with a time of 54.32 seconds. Malone, a javelin thrower from Missoula, Mont., finished ninth at the 2019 ACC Outdoor Championships before throwing 143-8 (43.81 meters) at the regional for 32nd place.
Cooke, Walker and Malone all finished higher than their initial seedings.
HOW TO FOLLOW
NCAA track and field fans can watch live and on-demand coverage of the NCAA Division I East and/or West Preliminary Championships on FloTrack with a Pro subscription. Coverage of the preliminary competitions will be available May 23-25. Live results for the entire weekend will be available courtesy of FlashResults.com.
A full schedule of events, heat sheets and a link to live results are also available at GoHeels.com.
Fans can follow @unctrack_field on Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout the meet. UNC Track & Field is also on Facebook. A recap of performances and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
Watch ($) | Live Results | Schedule of Events | Meet Notes (PDF) | Start Lists (Women) | Start Lists (Men)
FRIDAY'S CAROLINA COMPETITORS
Women
Anna Eaton – Pole Vault
Eaton, a senior from Cary, N.C., is making her second appearance at the NCAA East Prelims. Her season-best mark of 13-6½ (4.13), set at the Virginia Grand Prix on April 27, ranks her at 20th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 5:00 p.m
Emerson Porter – Pole Vault
Porter, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., will be making her first NCAA Prelim appearance. Her lifetime-best mark of 13-2 1/4 (4.02 meters), also set at the ACC Championship meet, is good for 38th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 5:00 p.m
Anna Keefer – 100m, 200m
Keefer, a sophomore from St. Michael Albertville, Minn., will return to the NCAA East Preliminary Round after a successful appearance in the long jump in 2018. Keefer, who finished second-team All-America at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will be making her second appearance in the long jump and also her first appearances on the track in the 100 and 200 meters. Keefer's marks of 20-3 ½ (6.18 meters), 11.43 seconds and 23.54 seconds respectively rank her 33rd, 28th and 35th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
100m – Friday 6:00 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
200m – Friday 7:30 p.m. (First Round)
200m – Saturday 7:35 p.m. (Quarterfinal – if qualified)
Men
Daniel McArthur – Shot Put, Discus
McArthur, a junior from Mooresville, N.C., will be making his third appearance in the men's shot put and his second in the discus at the NCAA East Prelims. McArthur is seeded 11th in the East with his shot put mark of 62-8 (19.10 meters) and 35th in the discus with his mark of 176-11 (53.92 meters). McArthur finished fourth in the men's shot put at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships, the best finish by a men's shot putter in the history of UNC track & field.
WHEN TO WATCH
Discus – Friday, 4:00 p.m.
Shot Put – Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Jared Martin – Javelin Throw
Martin, a redshirt-junior from Greensboro, N.C., has qualified for the NCAA East Prelims for the second time of his career. Martin, an All-ACC competitor after just two years of throwing a javelin, set a season-best mark of 208-9 (63.63 meters) at the Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 12 and is seeded 43rd in the NCAA East Prelim start lists.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 12:00 p.m.
Brandon Tubby – 1,500m
Tubby, a junior from Hillsborough, N.J., will be making his first appearance in the NCAA East Prelims. His lifetime-best time of 3:44.42 at the 2019 ACC Outdoor Championships earned him a fourth-place finish in the men's 1,500 meters as well as All-ACC honors in his first-ever championship final. His performance is seeded 15th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 6:45 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
Alex Milligan – 1,500m
Milligan, a junior from State College, Pa., will make his second appearance at the NCAA East Prelims. Milligan clocked a season-best performance of 3:44.98 to place fifth in the men's 1,500 meters at the 2019 ACC Championships, earning him the first All-ACC accolade of his career. His time is seeded for 26th in the East Region in 2019.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 6:45 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
4x400 Relay
Carolina is sending a men's 4x400 team to the NCAA East Preliminary Round for the tenth-straight season. The Tar Heels captured the ACC title in the event for the second-consecutive year and for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Carolina's best men's 4x400 time of the season (3:07.43) is seeded 14th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 9:45 p.m.
"It was an exciting day on the track," head coach Harlis Meaders. "We had a lot of really good things happen… Nicole Greene will return to the national championships after redshirting the last indoor and outdoor seasons. She's jumped really well all year, and I'm so excited for Madison Wiltrout to make her first NCAA appearance in Austin, Texas after winning the ACC Championship in the javelin. Really happy with the way our kids are competing, and I think they are handling the moment really well. I'm excited to see we still have more opportunities to advance people to Austin."
Greene is a three-time All-American competitor in the indoor high jump and was the 2018 NCAA Indoor national champion before redshirting the 2018 outdoor and 2019 indoor seasons. Greene will enter the NCAA competition ranked second in the nation after jumping for a Lannigan Field facility record at the ACC Outdoor Championships — 6-2 (1.88 meters).
Wiltrout holds the school record for North Carolina after throwing 182-5 (55.60 meters) to win the women's javelin ACC title earlier this season.
Three Tar Heels advanced to the quarterfinals in their events on the opening day of the NCAA East Prelims. Sophomore Anna Keefer qualified for the next round of the women's 100 meters with her time of 11.51 seconds and will compete Friday in hopes of contuining her season in the 100. Keefer will also make an appearance in the first round of the women's 200 meters (7:30 p.m.). Juniors Alex Milligan and Brandon Tubby powered through the final 100 meters of their 1,500-meter heat, clocking 3:53.91 and 3:53.97 to move onto the men's quarterfinals on Saturday (6:45 p.m.).
"You have to give our assistant coaches credit," Meaders said. "Jeff Gorski has done a fantastic job returning to his alma mater to coach. It's been a long time since we've had a qualifier in the women's javelin so I'm really excited about his success with Madison. Nicole Hudson continues to impress with Nicole Greene – she's done a fantastic job — and I think Coach Lockhart and Coach McDonough have had amazing progress with our men in the 1,500. They've really coached those kids up and they've become really smart runners. Having Coach Kia [Id-Deen] and Coach Abigi [Id-Deen] working with Anna has also been great to watch. They're quite the dynamic duo there and Anna's gotten better each year."
Though sophomore Isaiah Palmer wrapped up his season of individual events, the two-time ACC champion may have a shot at qualifying for the NCAA Championships with the men's 4x400 relay on Saturday (9:45 p.m.). Palmer finished 32nd with a time of 47.10 seconds in the first round of the men's 400 meters on Thursday.
With spectacular seasons under their belts, four North Carolina student-athletes closed out the year in Jacksonville.
"We are disappointed that Jill Shippee didn't advance," Meaders said. "It's been a phenomenal year for her and I'm really proud of the work she's done. Today was just a really unfortunate turnout and nobody feels worse than she does. Unfortunately, that's part of our sport and we'll learn from it, get stronger and get ready for the University Games in Italy."
Over the course of 2019, sophomore Jill Shippee set an ACC league record, broke an ACC championship meet record, won an ACC title and set the North Carolina school record three times — all in the women's hammer throw. Her lifetime-best mark of 224-3 (68.36 meters) at the ACC Outdoor Championships established her as a force to be reckoned with, and the Clifton Park, N.Y. native will be back next year looking to take her season to the final stage.
Graduate student Alex Cooke hangs up her Carolina jersey after five years with the Tar Heel track & field team. An All-ACC competitor in the women's weight throw, Cooke threw 191-3 (58.29 meters) to finish 28th in her final women's hammer throw competition.
Freshmen Maiah Walker and Emily Malone also capped off promising opening seasons. Walker, a native of Lake Wales, Fla., finished sixth for All-ACC honors in the women's 400 meters and placed 35th at her first NCAA East Prelims with a time of 54.32 seconds. Malone, a javelin thrower from Missoula, Mont., finished ninth at the 2019 ACC Outdoor Championships before throwing 143-8 (43.81 meters) at the regional for 32nd place.
Cooke, Walker and Malone all finished higher than their initial seedings.
HOW TO FOLLOW
NCAA track and field fans can watch live and on-demand coverage of the NCAA Division I East and/or West Preliminary Championships on FloTrack with a Pro subscription. Coverage of the preliminary competitions will be available May 23-25. Live results for the entire weekend will be available courtesy of FlashResults.com.
A full schedule of events, heat sheets and a link to live results are also available at GoHeels.com.
Fans can follow @unctrack_field on Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout the meet. UNC Track & Field is also on Facebook. A recap of performances and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
Watch ($) | Live Results | Schedule of Events | Meet Notes (PDF) | Start Lists (Women) | Start Lists (Men)
FRIDAY'S CAROLINA COMPETITORS
Women
Anna Eaton – Pole Vault
Eaton, a senior from Cary, N.C., is making her second appearance at the NCAA East Prelims. Her season-best mark of 13-6½ (4.13), set at the Virginia Grand Prix on April 27, ranks her at 20th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 5:00 p.m
Emerson Porter – Pole Vault
Porter, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., will be making her first NCAA Prelim appearance. Her lifetime-best mark of 13-2 1/4 (4.02 meters), also set at the ACC Championship meet, is good for 38th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 5:00 p.m
Anna Keefer – 100m, 200m
Keefer, a sophomore from St. Michael Albertville, Minn., will return to the NCAA East Preliminary Round after a successful appearance in the long jump in 2018. Keefer, who finished second-team All-America at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will be making her second appearance in the long jump and also her first appearances on the track in the 100 and 200 meters. Keefer's marks of 20-3 ½ (6.18 meters), 11.43 seconds and 23.54 seconds respectively rank her 33rd, 28th and 35th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
100m – Friday 6:00 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
200m – Friday 7:30 p.m. (First Round)
200m – Saturday 7:35 p.m. (Quarterfinal – if qualified)
Men
Daniel McArthur – Shot Put, Discus
McArthur, a junior from Mooresville, N.C., will be making his third appearance in the men's shot put and his second in the discus at the NCAA East Prelims. McArthur is seeded 11th in the East with his shot put mark of 62-8 (19.10 meters) and 35th in the discus with his mark of 176-11 (53.92 meters). McArthur finished fourth in the men's shot put at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships, the best finish by a men's shot putter in the history of UNC track & field.
WHEN TO WATCH
Discus – Friday, 4:00 p.m.
Shot Put – Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Jared Martin – Javelin Throw
Martin, a redshirt-junior from Greensboro, N.C., has qualified for the NCAA East Prelims for the second time of his career. Martin, an All-ACC competitor after just two years of throwing a javelin, set a season-best mark of 208-9 (63.63 meters) at the Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 12 and is seeded 43rd in the NCAA East Prelim start lists.
WHEN TO WATCH
Friday, 12:00 p.m.
Brandon Tubby – 1,500m
Tubby, a junior from Hillsborough, N.J., will be making his first appearance in the NCAA East Prelims. His lifetime-best time of 3:44.42 at the 2019 ACC Outdoor Championships earned him a fourth-place finish in the men's 1,500 meters as well as All-ACC honors in his first-ever championship final. His performance is seeded 15th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 6:45 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
Alex Milligan – 1,500m
Milligan, a junior from State College, Pa., will make his second appearance at the NCAA East Prelims. Milligan clocked a season-best performance of 3:44.98 to place fifth in the men's 1,500 meters at the 2019 ACC Championships, earning him the first All-ACC accolade of his career. His time is seeded for 26th in the East Region in 2019.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 6:45 p.m. (Quarterfinal)
4x400 Relay
Carolina is sending a men's 4x400 team to the NCAA East Preliminary Round for the tenth-straight season. The Tar Heels captured the ACC title in the event for the second-consecutive year and for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Carolina's best men's 4x400 time of the season (3:07.43) is seeded 14th in the East Region.
WHEN TO WATCH
Saturday, 9:45 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
High Jump
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Javelin
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Javelin
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