Track & Field
- Title:
- Head Coach, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country (Throws)
- Email:
- meaders@uncaa.unc.edu
- Phone:
- 919-962-5199
Harlis Meaders is in his sixth season as the head coach of the track and field and cross country programs. Meaders returned to coach at his alma mater in 2012 after an 18-year stint at Florida State that saw him rise to the program’s associate head coach in 2004 while coaching the throwers and coordinating recruiting operations.
“I’m extremely delighted to have the opportunity to reunite with the Carolina family,” said Meaders in the summer of 2012, “I’m a product of North Carolina track and field. I was born and raised in this state and had the privilege to compete at the University of North Carolina. If you’ve ever worn the Carolina blue and white, you know how I feel. Carolina is an extremely special place and it’s an honor to give back to the university and the community that has given so much to me.”
Meaders' tenure at Carolina has been defined by excellence both in the oval and within the classroom. The 2016-17 editions of the Carolina track & field and cross country teams exemplified the very best of what his student-athletes have accomplished. In competition, 17 Tar Heels earned a combined 29 All-ACC honors, two won ACC titles and six gained All-America distinctions. Kenny Selmon took home first-team All-America honors after taking fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships by breaking a 22-year-old school record in the event. Nicole Greene finished fifth in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships to also claim first-team All-America honors. Sarah Howard took home second-team All-America honors in the shot put, and RJ Alowonle (400H), Anna Eaton (pole vault) and Ceo Ways (400) were named honorable-mention All-America. Ten individuals and three relays established 17 new marks in the top five in the UNC record books.
For their efforts in the classroom in 2016-17, nine student-athletes were named Academic All-ACC, eight individuals and the women’s team were honored by the USTFCCCA for their academic accomplishments, and 50 Tar Heels earned spots on the ACC Academic Honor Roll. RJ Alowlone, Emily Godwin and Sarah Howard were also recognized by CoSIDA with Academic All-District Honors, with Alowonle and Howard going on to be named Academic All-America.
In the throwing events for the Tar Heels in 2016-17, Meaders led senior Sarah Howard to second-team All-America honors in the shot put for the second time in her career. Howard also earned first-team All-ACC honors in the shot put at both conference championship meets and improved her mark that ranks second in Carolina history. Freshman Daniel McArthur took home second-team All-ACC honors in the shot put from both conference meets and already has the second-best outdoor shot put throw in UNC History. Alex Cooke scored for Carolina at the indoor conference meet and moved up second in weight throw in the UNC record book.
During the 2015-16 season, the track and field program performed well in the ACC and at the national level under the guidance of Meaders. Kenny Selmon earned first-team All-America honors, while Javonte Lipsey was named to the second team. At conference championships, 23 Tar Heels earned All-ACC honors and the men’s 4x400 (Javonte Lipsey, Kenny Selmon, Cory Nicholls and Ceo Ways) captured the title at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the fourth consecutive year. Five student-athletes were named to the All-ACC Academic Team (Tory Kemp, Avana Story, Nicole Greene, Houston Summers and Javonte Lipsey) and 24 were on the 2015-16 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
In the throws for 2015-16, Meaders led Houston Summers, Avana Story and Zach Gray to All-ACC outdoor honors and Sarah Howard to All-ACC indoor honors. AJ Hicks qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships where he took first-team All-America honors after finishing sixth in the weight throw. AJ Hicks had a throw of 218-10, which increased his No. 3 all-time mark in UNC history. Story notched a 200-9 to take over second place in the UNC record book, while Alex Cooke threw a 181-8 to increase her No. 5 all-time mark.
The Tar Heels found success on the national level in 2014-15 with eight first-team All-Americas (Lizzy Whelan, Sean Sutton, Xenia Rahn [twice], Javonte Lipsey, Ceo Ways [twice] and Kenny Selmon). Additionally, AJ Hicks, Kenny Selmon, Javonte Lipsey and Sarah Howard earned second-team All-America honors. The team hauled in 26 All-ACC honorees including ACC champions Xenia Rahn (pentathlon and heptathlon), Paul Haley (heptathlon) and the men's 4x400 relay (RJ Alowonle, Javonte Lipsey, Kenny Selmon and Ceo Ways). The team also excelled in the classroom with 46 individuals making the 2014-15 ACC Academic Honor Roll.Â
In the throws for 2014-15, Meaders coached AJ Hicks and Sarah Howard to second-team All-America honors. Hicks eclipsed the second place mark on the school's all-time list in the weight throw. He earned All-ACC honors for finishing third in the event and took 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Howard earned second-team All-America honors in the shot put during the outdoor season.
During the 2013-14 track and field seasons, Meaders led the Tar Heel program to four ACC individual titles, a 4x400 conference championship and 19 All-ACC individuals. On the national level, 26 individuals and three relays qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round and 10 advanced to the NCAA National Championships. Five Tar Heels earned first-team All-America honors - RJ Alowonle (4x400, 400-meter hurdles), Sean Sutton (4x400), Javonte Lipsey (4x400), Ceo Ways (4x400) and Xenia Rahn (Heptathlon) - and seven were named second-team All-America - Isaac Presson (Mile, 5,000), Lizzy Whelan (1,500), Annie LeHardy (Mile, DMR), Cori Floyd (DMR), Lianne Farber (DMR), Javonte Lipsey (400-hurdles) and Sarah Howard (shot put). The Tar Heels also excelled in the classroom as 22 earned All-ACC Academic honors and 40 student-athletes were named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
In the throws for 2013-14, Meaders coached the unit to several personal records and a few top-five school marks. Meaders guided AJ Hicks to an ACC Championship in the weight throw and ACC Indoor Field Event MVP honors. Sarah Howard threw a new personal record under his direction that ranked 10th among all NCAA athletes in 2014.
Meaders is a 1992 graduate who competed in the discus, shot put and 35-pound weight throw. While competing, he won back-to-back ACC outdoor titles in the discus in 1991 and 1992 as well as an indoor conference crown in the weight throw in 1992. Meaders was a high school All-America who became a NCAA and Olympic Trials qualifier while at UNC. He set the school record in discus with a throw of 186-10 (56.95 meters), a mark that stood for 23 years, and now ranks second on the UNC all-time list. Meaders was also a captain on the 1992 track & field team that won the ACC outdoor title.
The Monroe, N.C., native began his coaching career at Western Carolina where he spent three years as an assistant coach while earning his master’s degree in physical education. While there, Meaders also instructed courses in the physical education department. He coached several Western Carolina track and field athletes to multiple Southern Conference individual titles.
During his 18 years at Florida State, Meaders helped the Seminoles win the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s NCAA Division I men’s program of the year award for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012. As the throws coach, Meaders guided 11 different Florida State throwers to 22 All-America honors and 22 ACC titles. The male and female athletes he coached established more than three-quarters of the top-10 all-time school bests in the discus, javelin, shot put and weight throws during his tenure. In 2005, Meaders was named the East Regional Assistant Coach of the Year for his success with the Seminoles throwing corps.
Meaders also coached two-time NCAA Champion Garrett Johnson, who is widely considered the greatest student-athlete in Florida State school history. In the fall of 2005, Johnson was honored as the second Rhodes Scholar in school history as well as the first for a student-athlete. In the spring of 2005, Johnson claimed NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the shot put for the Seminoles’ first national championships in the event. Johnson also set school, conference and NCAA East Regional records that year. Johnson would go on to compete in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, earning a ranking of 14th in the world.
Olympian Dorian Scott was also one of Meaders’ stand-out student-athetles at Florida State. A native of Jamaica, he became the first Jamaican to ever reach the final of the men’s shot put at an Olympics, throwing 66-6 (20.31 meters) to qualify, and ultimately finished 10th with a throw of 67-6 (20.61 meters) in London in 2012. Scott has an all-time best shot throw of 70-4 ½ (21.45 meters) which he set in March 2008 in Tallahassee, Fla.
In addition to leading student-athletes to competitive success, Meaders has also taught student-athletes who have gone on to become successful coaches: Gregg Jack is the throws coach at CSUN, David Price is the throws coach East Carolina, B.J. Linnenbrink is the associate head coach at Duke, Dorian Scott is an assistant coach at Florida State and Makiba Batten is an assistant coach at Wayne State. Karen Rademeyer is a former Meaders’ pupil who also went on to coach.
Meaders also brought with him to Carolina a deep commitment to academic success. From 2007 to 2012, his student-athletes earned 19 Academic All-America honors. He was also the co-founder of R.E.A.L. Men (Reliable, Educated, Approachable Leaders), a leadership program at Florida State for male student-athletes. Along with his coaching duties at FSU, Meaders oversaw daily operations, including team travel and budget, as well as acting as the program’s liaison with athletic department administration, compliance, facilities, admission, financial aid and the business office.
