University of North Carolina Athletics
Track & Field Dominate Day Two Of Duke Invitational, Strand & Wolfe Lead The Way
April 13, 2024 | Track & Field
DURHAM, N.C.—Men's and women's middle-distance runners led the way as the University of North Carolina track and field teams dominated Friday on day two of the Duke Invitational at Morris Williams Stadium.
In the Men's 1,500 Meters Invite, Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe crossed the finish line first and second in the 1500m, now ranking first and second in the country in the event. Strand with a time of 3:35.60 and Wolfe with a time of 3:36.25 secured their spots at the Olympic qualifiers in June. Strand's run broke the Morris Williams Stadium facility record and Duke Invitational meet records.
Overall, four Tar Heels finished in the top 10: Aiden Neal finished fourth with a time of 3:40.73, and Jake Gebhardt finished with 3:41.40. All achieved personal bests and advanced on the all-time list for the event, with Strand and Wolfe at two and three, respectively. Strand is just 0.16 seconds away from Tony Waldrop's 50-year-old school record, while Neal sits just outside the top ten at 11th and Gebhardt at 12th.
In the 800 Meters Invite, Kyle Reinheimer finished second on the men's side, while Makayla Paige secured second on the women's side, both achieving personal bests. Reinheimer, with a time of 1:48.39, moves up to seventh on the all-time list, while Paige, with a time of 2:01.92, joins the women's list for the first time, rocketing up to second, just 0.76 seconds shy of the school record set by Alice Schmidt in 2003. Additionally, Ella Auderset won her heat in the event and finished seventh overall with a time of 2:07.99.
In the Women's 1,500 Meters Invite, Sydney Masciarelli earned a huge personal record of 4:28.68 with a hard-fought third-place finish in her heat and 15th overall. Brynn Brown led the Tar Heels in the event with an 11th place finish.
Luke Wiley achieved a personal record and a fifth-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Day two of the field events was highlighted by Jack De Francesco winning Section B of the Men's Pole Vault.
Isaac Young currently sits in third place halfway through the decathlon and appears poised for a strong performance on Saturday.
Live updates will be posted to the team's official Twitter and Instagram accounts (@UNCTrack_Field) for another full day of action in Durham.
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