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The Daily Tar Heel

Daniel McArthur sets school record at Virginia Tech Invitational

track and field Duke
The UNC track and field team competed against Duke on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at Duke University.

The North Carolina track and field team was led by senior Daniel McArthur at the Virginia Tech Invitational, who set a new school record in men's shot put. Eleven Tar Heels added to the impressive showing, setting personal bests of their own.

What happened?

North Carolina started the two-day meet on Friday with multiple athletes setting personal bests. 

The standout performance on the first day came from junior Jill Shippee, who won the women's weight throw with a mark of 19.63 meters.

The personal bests in the weight throw continued onto the men's competition. Redshirt junior Madias Loper set his personal best and claimed seventh place with a throw of 17.19 meters.

On the running side of the meet, the Tar Heels were led by sophomore Qhiyal Towns, who matched his personal best of 6.81 seconds in the 60-meter dash, earning second place. Junior Anna Keefer also matched a personal best in the 60-meter dash at 7.44 and qualified for the finals but didn't race.

In the longer distances, UNC continued to set personal records and compete for podium finishes. Senior Mitch Resor and junior Ian Moini both set personal records in the men's mile and finished fifth and seventh, respectively. That trend continued throughout the day for North Carolina as senior Ashley Smith and sophomore Camryn Petit set personal records in the women's 3000-meter run, both earning top 10 finishes.

In the men's 3000-meter run, another duo of Tar Heels beat their personal records. Junior Jake McEneaney ran a time of 8:35.27 and sophomore Ryan Combs set his personal record with a time of 8:50.03.

McArthur stole the show on the second day of the event. He threw 20.35 meters in the men’s shot put to beat the school record that he had already set. No one came close to his mark as the next closest competitor was over a meter behind him at 19.02 meters.

Loper also competed in the men's shot put and set another personal best with a 17.39 m throw which was good for eighth. On the women's side of the event, sophomore Emily Malone set a personal best of her own with a throw of 11.75 meters.

McArthur wasn't the only field athlete to secure a victory on day two. First-year Sydney Banks picked up her first collegiate win in the women's high jump with a mark of 1.75 meters.

The track athletes also had an impressive second day. Junior Isaiah Palmer won the men's 400-meter dash, setting a personal best time of 47.15 seconds. North Carolina also placed second in the men's 4x400 relay to cap an impressive meet.

Who stood out?

The Tar Heels had 11 personal bests, but McArthur's was the most impactful. He reset his own school-record and is now ranked second in the NCAA for men's shot put. Look for McArthur the rest of the season as he could be competing for a national championship.

Shippee also stood out with her second-straight first-place finish in the women's weight throw.

When was it decided?

This event didn't keep track of team scores because it was a chance for the athletes to get back into the swing of things. It seems like the Tar Heels had a beneficial offseason with 11 personal bests being set.

Why does it matter?

North Carolina is still preparing for the long season ahead of them. However, the Tar Heels were ready to go for the meet.

“I love that we brought the energy the minute we walked in the building, and everybody was fired up and supporting each other,” head coach Miltenberg said. “Again, we’re coming in, in the midst of a heavy training block in every event group, so we don’t feel great, but we put in great attitude and fighting effort every time we lined up whatever the event was.”

When do they play next?

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The track and field team travels back to Blacksburg, Virginia for the two-day Hokie Invitational that starts Friday, Jan. 24 at 4 p.m.

@A_ReynoldsDTH

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com