Felnagle, Holesh place in top 30 at NCAAs

Junior Lauren Holesh knew she was not going to place higher than the only other Tar Heel at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday.

Instead, she used All-American teammate Brie Felnagle to help her against the rest of the competition in Terre Haute, Ind.

“I just tried to keep Brie in sight,” she said. “Brie is always a front-runner.

“That was the plan, and I just stuck to it.”

That plan was effective, and Felnagle finished fourth and Holesh finished 30th to take home All-America honors in their final race of the season.

The two became the first pair of All-Americas for UNC in the same season since three Tar Heels were named All-Americas in 2003.

It was just the third time North Carolina has accomplished the feat.

“They were very focused,” coach Michael Whittlesey said of the pair’s runs in Monday’s championship. “It was a good trip for the two.”

Felnagle ended her illustrious cross country career at UNC with her highest finish ever at the NCAA Championships.

She broke the 20-minute mark with a time of 19:53.3 despite battling her second cold this month.

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel,” she said. “But it didn’t really affect the race.”

The senior said she is just happy to be able to rest now that the season is over.

She certainly has earned it during her career at North Carolina, finishing first on the team at the ACC and NCAA championships in every year of her career.

But the race had a different feel for Holesh — one that was less final in tone.

The junior emerged this season as one of the Tar Heels’ top runners after injuries and illnesses crippled the team.

“There was a gaping hole on our team,” she said. “I figured someone had to close that hole, so I just worked hard over the summer.”

Now Holesh will be expected to lead the team that returns most of its top runners besides Felnagle next season.

The team is already brimming with expectations — as is Holesh, who hopes to move into the Top 16 at the NCAA Championships next season.

Despite Felnagle and Holesh’s successes, this championship meet marked the first in 11 years that the Tar Heels did not qualify as a team.

But Whittlesey said he believes his team will be up to the challenge next year, after finishing third in the regional this season — only one spot short of a trip to nationals.

“We came very close to pulling it off,” he said. “We’ll be back.”



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