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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC track and field performs well at Vertklasse Meeting

Daniel McArthur Raleigh Relays
Sophomore Daniel McArthur throws the shot put at the Raleigh Relays on March 30.

The North Carolina track and field team competed in Vertklasse Meeting Friday and Saturday. Sophomore Jill Shippee placed second in the women’s hammer throw, giving North Carolina three women that are top 10 in the nation in their events.

What happened?

On Friday, North Carolina had notable performances from multiple athletes. 

Sophomore Madison Wiltrout won the women’s javelin toss in decisive fashion as her throw of 51.05 meters, well farther than second place. First-year Emily Malone finished seventh with a 42.79-meter throw and improved on her lifetime best she set at the Yellow Jacket Invitational. 

In the men’s javelin toss redshirt junior Jared Martin set a new season-best with a 62.26-meter throw in route to a fifth-place finish.

On Saturday in the women’s hammer throw, Shippee made her outdoor debut with a 63.77- meter throw, good enough for second place. 

Sophomore Anna Keefer won the women’s 200-meter dash with 23.54 seconds, setting a new personal-best, the fifth-best time in the ACC. Sophomore Emerson Porter set a personal record in the women’s pole vault invite with 4.01 meters, a tie for second place.

Redshirt junior Nicole Greene won the women’s high jump invite with 1.82 meters, which is the second-best high jump in the nation. 

Redshirt sophomore Daniel McArthur, competing as an individual, won the men’s shot put handedly with his throw of 18.75 meters. The women’s 4x100 relay team also won with a time of 45.55, while the The men’s 4x100 A relay team finished in first while the B relay team placed third. In the men’s 4x400 relay North Carolina finished second.

When was it decided?

North Carolina competed in many events over the weekend, consistently finishing near the top. Notably, the North Carolina men’s 4x100 relay team earned a victory and a third-place finish, and the women’s 4x100 relay won as well. The men’s 4x400 relay finished third, capping off a solid weekend for the Tar Heels.

Why does it matter?

With the recent performances by Greene, Wiltrout and Shippee, three Tar Heels are top-10 in the nation in their respective events. Head Coach Harlis Meaders was very pleased with the performances this week and noted his excitement in the accomplishments his team have.

“I think Nicole Greene continues to the best performance on a national level, so she’s still currently ranked among the top three female high-jumpers in the country, which is exciting.”

“Joining that list of high national qualifiers Jill Shippee in the women’s hammer: her mark puts her among the top-10 in the nation, and Madison Wiltrout from last week — her mark puts her at the top-10 in the nation, so right now in our women’s program we have three kids that are ranked among the top 10 in the country, and that’s exciting for this part of the year and for our program."

Who stood out?

Shippee’s performance put her in the top-10 nationwide for women’s hammer throw. The relays for the Tar Heels had two victories and a third-place finish. Greene won the women’s high jump after being named ACC Women’s Field Co- Performer of the Week for week one of the outdoor season. 

Wiltrout is now 2-2 in javelin competitions so far in the early part of the outdoor season. After McArthur made All-American at the NCAA Championship, he continues to dominate the men’s shot-put.

When do they play next?

North Carolina competes in two events the Florida Relays Thursday through Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., and the Raleigh Relays Friday and Saturday.

@Areynolds_DTH

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@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com