Tar Heel Quartet Enjoys Repeats

But for four North Carolina athletes, the 2002 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Eddie Smith Fieldhouse looked a lot like the Virginia Tech-hosted 2001 ACCs.

UNC's Blair Woodward, Shalane Flanagan, Alice Schmidt and Ian Douglas repeated as conference champions during last weekend's ACC championships.

On Friday, Woodward, a junior, finished first in the long jump with a mark of 24 feet, 11 inches.

Woodward said the peformance will help him as he goes into the season's final meets and the NCAA Championships.

"I felt like I jumped pretty well," Woodward said. "I've still got to work on a few things. But, if I can build on this, then I'll be in good shape for the NCAAs."

Flanagan won the 3,000-meter race, and repeated in the one-mile with a time of 4:42.35. Three of the top four milers ran for North Carolina.

"I really didn't think about winning, just as long as one of us came in first," Flanagan said. "But, yeah, I wanted to come out and defend my title."

In the 800 on Saturday afternoon, Schmidt showed why she was an All-American and the ACC champion at that distance last year, leading the entire way en route to a 2:07.02 finish.

"I felt a little bit more pressure this year," Schmidt said. "But the pressure probably helped."

Douglas, a senior from Wisconsin, won the ACC indoor shot-put championship for the third straight year with a personal best throw of 60-10.5.

"I would have liked to have thrown a little farther and get myself on the NCAA list," Douglas said. "But you're always happy with a PR (personal record) and a win."

As a three-time ACC shot put champion, Douglas said he felt like a marked man.

"This year, especially, the Georgia Tech kids and the Florida State kids were really coming after me," Douglas said. "I had a big throw on my first throw and then just shut the door on them."

"I don't think anything was going to get in his way this weekend," said throws coach Brian Blutreich of Douglas. "He was throwing against a bunch of younger competitors, who are going to be very good in the future. But his time is now."

UNC coach Dennis Craddock said the notoriety a championship brings can make it difficult for an athlete to repeat.

"Everybody is gunning for you," Craddock said. "You're on top for so long, like some of our individuals, everyone wants to beat you."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.