University of North Carolina Athletics
Ethan Strand at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
Photo by: Ryan Montemarano
Tar Heels Shine At U.S. Olympic Trials, Paige & Strand Advance To Semis
June 22, 2024 | Track & Field
On Day one of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, two Tar Heels, Makayla Paige and Ethan Strand, kept their Olympic dreams alive by advancing to the semifinals and continuing to compete for a spot on the United States National Team at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Paige trailed for most of her 800m heat before passing four runners in the final stretch to take 5th place and the semifinal qualifying spot with a time of 2:02.12.Â
Strand was involved in all the action in a very competitive 1500m heat, claiming seventh in his heat and the final automatic qualifying spot with a time of 3:38.02.Â
Strand advances to compete tonight, Saturday, June 22nd, at 9:56 p.m. ET in the men's 1500m semifinals, while Paige will compete on Sunday, June 23rd, at 9:11 p.m. ET in the women's 800m semifinals.
Three former Tar Heels also competed at the Olympic Trials on Friday: Daniel McArthur (2017-2022), Jill Shippee (2018-2022), and Alex Phillip (2023-2024). All three hold the school record in their respective events.Â
McArthur in shot put and Shippee in hammer throw failed to advance to the semifinals, while the former DIII star turned graduate transfer and lynchpin in the Tar Heels Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field ACC Championships finished 14th in the 10,000m final.Â
The 5,000m National Champion, Parker Wolfe, will start his Olympic journey on Thursday, June 27th, at 11:03 p.m. ET.
Another alum Madison Wiltrout will start her javelin trials Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET.Â
The Olympic Trials are taking place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and will continue through June 30. Live coverage of the meet will be provided via NBC, Peacock, and USA Network, with live results available here.
To stay up to date with Tar Heel cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook by searching "UNCTrack_Field."
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