Strong Start At Penn State National Invitational For Track & Field

McKenna Brunick
pole vault
University of North Carolina Track and Field
Dick Taylor Challenge
Eddie Smith Field House
Chapel Hill, NC
Saturday, January 14, 2023

McKenna Brunick finished eighth in the women's pole vault on Friday.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Strong Start At Penn State National Invitational For Track & Field

January 27, 2023 | Track & Field

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.—The University of North Carolina track and field teams swept the top three spots in the women's 5000m to highlight a strong Friday on the first day of the Penn State National Invitational.

Sophomores Natalie Tyner, Sasha Neglia and Ava Dobson finished 1-2-3, respectively, in the 5000m to sweep the top three finishers in the event for UNC. Sophomore Fatima Alanis took fifth place to complete Carolina's dominance in the event.

In a deep field in the women's mile, Sydney Masciarelli finished 14th (4:57.22), Madison Huecker, was 15th (4:57.92) and Sarah Trainor was 16th (4:58.12).

On the men's side, a pair of Tar Heels had sixth-place finishes on Friday. Blaise Atkinson raced to a sixth-place finish in the men's 60m hurdles in 8.16 seconds, while Michael Spragley was sixth in the men's 800m.

The Tar Heels will return to action on Saturday morning for the second day of the Penn State National Invitational on the Penn State campus.

Carolina Notables
• Freshman Blaise Atkinson finished sixth in the men's 60m hurdles in a time of 8.11.
• Junior Michael Spragley (sixth place in 1:49.50) and sophomore Kyle Reinheimer (11th place in 1:50.58) gave the Tar Heels two finishers in the top 11 in the men's 800m. Freshman Dylan Look (1:53.88) finished 18th.
• Sophomore Alyssa Hernandez was 15th in the women's 800m (2:11.01).
• Sophomore McKenna Brunick took eighth place in the women's pole vault with a 3.66m (12-0) performance.
• Sophomore Paul Signorelli tied for 10th place in the men's pole vault with a jump of 4.71m (15-5 ½).

Friday's UNC Results
Men's 60m Hurdles: Blaise Atkinson, 6th (8.11)
Women's Mile: Sydney Masciarelli, 14th (4:57.22); Madison Huecker, 15th (4:57.92); Sarah Trainor, 16th (4:58.12)
Men's Mile: Jack Aho, 6th (3:59.63), Ben Fleming, 15th (4:03.56), Aiden Neal, 23rd (4:07.86)
Women's 5000m: Natalie Tyner, 1st (16:19.57); Sasha Neglia, 2nd (16:22.81); Ava Dobson, 3rd (16:23.00); Fatima Alanis, 5th (16:39.55), Sydney Masciarelli (DNF); Sarah Trainor (DNF)
Men's Pole Vault: Paul Signorelli, tied 10th (4.71/15-5 1/2)
Women's Pole Vault: McKenna Brunick, 8th (3.66/12-0)
Women's Long Jump: Paige Floriea, 14th (5.28/17-4)
Men's Weight Throw: Ty Castro, 30th (13.37/43-10 ½)