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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC track and field makes strides in Iowa State Classic

The North Carolina track and field team has faced increasingly tough competition as the season has progressed. 

This past weekend's Iowa State Classic was no different. But the Tar Heels stepped up and showed improvement across the board with multiple personal records.

Senior R.J. Alowonle sprinted to first place in the men’s 400 non-masters section with a personal record of 47.24 seconds. His time is the third-best in the ACC this year. 

Redshirt senior A.J. Hicks solidified second place in the men’s weight throw with a toss that traveled 21.46 meters. 

Redshirt junior Paul Haley and sophomore Kenny Selmon competed in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. The pair qualified for finals, and Haley narrowly edged out Selmon for second place with a time of 8.094 compared to Selmon's time of 8.095. 

The largest part of the Tar Heels' success came from the long distance runners.

Redshirt junior Mark Derrick ran in the men’s 5,000-meter race and earned an indoor personal record by 14 seconds with a time of 14:14.41. Sophomore Logan Carroll competed in the same event in a different heat and finished first, earning a personal record by 15 seconds with a time of 14:23.05. The long distance duo currently holds the eighth- and 11th-best times in the ACC this year. 

Sophomore Josette Norris set a personal record in the women’s 3,000-meter race with a time of 9:27.87 to finish 13th overall. Sophomore Stella Radford was about six seconds behind Norris after finishing with a time of 9:34.24. 

Quotable

“The meet was very beneficial for the team, and we were able to improve performances from earlier in the semester. The competition was good, and it was a really big step forward for us in preparation for the ACC Championships.” — Coach Harlis Meaders on his team’s performance. 

Notable

Only 0.001 of a second separated Haley and Selmon in the finals of the 60-meter hurdle. 

Three numbers that matter

0.01: Alowonle finished 0.01 seconds ahead of the second-place runner in the men's 400 non-master section. 

4: The number of Hicks' throws out of a total of five that went beyond 21 meters. 

11: The number of days until the ACC Championships take place in Boston. 

What’s next?

The Tar Heels will send runners to compete in the UCS Invite and Notre Dame Invitational on Feb. 20. 

@jordymae012

sports@dailytarheel.com

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