Track and field successful in away meet

Highlighted by a historic indoor weight throw from A.J. Hicks and a third-place finish in the mile from Jack Driggs, the UNC track and field team will look to build off a respectable showing at the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York City.

The meet — essentially the midpoint of the indoor season for UNC — offered a chance for individual athletes to improve on their performances from earlier in the season.

More than anything, the meet was the team’s first true road experience of the season after opening the season with two meets in Chapel Hill and a short trip to Winston-Salem .

“The competition was our first major competition away from home so we got a chance to travel and sleep at the hotel and go to the track and be there early … It was a good test for us,” coach Harlis Meaders said.

Meaders added that the meet was invaluable in providing the Tar Heels a look at some of their top competition nationwide and within their conference, including an extended look at new ACC opponents Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

“The field was really good. You had some of the premier teams in the nation competing so it was pretty stout competition,” Meaders said.

Recording the fourth-best indoor weight throw in UNC history and setting two personal records at the meet , Hicks was a standout for the Tar Heels. He noted that the team was satisfied with its performance but is determined to perform better in ensuing meets.

“I’d say it was a solid weekend. Not a dream weekend by any means but a solid weekend,” Hicks said. “More important meets are coming down the road.”

Hicks felt the same way about his own performance, and said there is major room for improvement as the season progresses.

“It was a personal best but it kind of just reassured that there’s a lot more to come,” said Hicks of his 19.67-meter indoor weight throw , good for fifth place .

The junior thrower explained that he has high expectations for himself, and that the new personal record was a step in the right direction.

“I expect to go to every meet and compete … I have full intentions on being All-ACC in both the [shot put] and the [indoor weight throw] and possibly ending up ACC champion in one of them. “

“In the process, I hope to punch my ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championship in New Mexico,” Hicks said.

Driggs — running his first mile at a meet since March of 2012 — said that he could have turned in a better performance than his third-place finish.

“It was a so-so race,” he said.

“I closed really well. My timing was just way off. Had I moved 100 meters earlier, I probably could have won.”

Aside from Hicks and Driggs, UNC received strong performances from several athletes that encouraged Meaders, including an impressive showing from emerging freshman sprinter Javianne Oliver. Despite being new to the indoor circuit , Oliver finished the women’s 60-meter dash at 7.57 seconds , tying her seasonal best .

“I was really impressed with [Oliver] … She didn’t run indoor track in high school so this was the biggest indoor meet of her life,” Meaders said.

The second-year head coach emphasized that the trip to New York was a learning experience for a team that has high expectations on a yearly basis.

“We’re always training to be one of the better programs in the country so it doesn’t really matter who we face, our goal is still the same,” Meaders said.

“I think kids will see that we need to get better … the competition is only going to get stiffer.”