University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Tiger Paw Invite Day 2
Shippee Moves Up, 4x400 Relays Move Into UNC Record Books
February 10, 2018 | Track & Field
CLEMSON S.C./NASHVILLE - Following Morgan Ilse's record-breaking 5,000 on Friday night, Jill Shippee moved up to third in UNC history in the women's weight throw at the Tiger Paw Invite and the 4x400 squads moved into the top five in UNC history with their performances at the Music City Challenge Saturday.
Shippee, a freshman out of Clifton Park, N.Y., threw a season-best 63-1 ¼ (19.23 meters) in the weight throw on her second attempt to finish fourth. The throw moved Shippee up to third all-time at Carolina in the event and it is top 10 in the ACC this season.
"I was excited to see Jillian have a better meet," Meaders said. "We've been working on a couple things, trying to find out what's going to work best for her, and I think things are starting to come together. It was probably the toughest comprehensive field of throwers that have ben assembled for us this year, and for her to compete at a level that we knew she was capable of doing, and in that environment, was really good."
Also, in the weight throw, senior Alex Cooke (Lowgap, N.C.) finished fifth with a throw of 62-5 ¾ (19.04 meters) on her fourth attempt. Cooke's throw of 63-3 ¾ from the Notre Dame Invitational already has her in the top 10 in the ACC this season, and her personal best of 64-9 ¼ from 2017 is second in school history.
"I've been very fortunate," Meaders said. "I've got some really good kids to work with, and we're all chasing that mark of 70-3 ¾ set by Laura Gerraughty, and that's a good mark to chase. Alex was new to the event coming in as a college freshman and has really excelled at it. And of course Jillian was the high school national champion last year, and we are expecting her to do big things."
At the Music City Challenge, both 4x400 squads improved upon their times on the year and moved into the top-five in school history in the event. The women's team of McKinley McNeill, Jewel Christian, Natisha Dixon and Cierra Dunston ran 3:37.19 to finish third - the time is third in the ACC this season, top 25 in the country and fourth in school history.
"There's going to be some really good competition at the ACC Championship," Meaders said. "When we get into the heat into it with Clemson, Pittsburgh and probably Miami, I think we're going to be extremely competitive, and I'm hopeful that we can come out with the victory."
The men's team of Ryan Saint-Germain, Isaiah Palmer, Jadon Johnson and Kenny Selmon ran 3:07.57. That is the second-fastest time in the ACC this season, it is top 15 in the country and it is the fourth-fastest time in school history.
"The men's team has three freshman on the relay, and those guys are getting better with every opportunity that we put them out there," Meaders said.
OTHER SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Men
• Redshirt-freshman Brodie Modini set a personal-best of 4:06.61 in the men's mile at the Music City Challenge, finishing third in the event. The time is in the top 15 in the ACC this season.
• In the men's 400 meters at the Music City Challenge, freshman Isaiah Palmer ran a season-best 47.14 to finish third, and senior Kenny Selmon ran a personal best of 47.19 to take fourth. The times by Palmer and Selmon are third and fourth in the ACC this season, respectively.
• Freshman Jadon Johnson ran a season-best 48.77 in the 400 meters at the Music City Challenge.
Women
• Senior Natisha Dixon notched her first personal best in the 60-meter hurdles in two years with her her time of 8.34 and second-place finish in the event at the Music City Challenge. The time is seventh in the ACC this season.
• Senior Blake Dodge ran a season best of 2:09.69 in the 800 meters to qualify for the ACC Championships in the event. The time is ninth-fastest in the ACC this season.
• Sophomore McKinley McNeill ran a season-best 54.98 in 400 meters at the Music City Challenge to qualify for the ACC Championships.
• Senior Alexis Gannon jumped a season-best 40-1 ½ (12.23 meters) in the triple jump at the Tiger Paw Invite.
FRIDAY'S BIG HIGHLIGHT
North Carolina's Morgan Ilse broke Addie Bracy's 2008 school record in the indoor 5,000 meters Friday, placing second in 16:16.77 at the Music City Challenge.
Ilse, the junior out of Dunwoody, Ga., was just six days removed from running 9:12.17 in the Camel City Elite 3,000 meters to take fourth place in school history in the event.
Senior Caroline Alcorta (Springfield, Va.) strategically paced the 5,000-meter race over the first seven laps before dropping out due to pre-race illness. Over the next three laps, Megan Cunningham of Missouri took a sizable lead and Ilse stuck with the trailing pack.
VanAlstyne could tell that Ilse didn't have the legs to lead the group and advised her to sit in behind Hannah Miller of SMU and Eden Meyer of North Florida. The decision paid off, as over the final laps Ilse was able to separate from Miller and Meyer for a seven-second cushion at the finish to claim second.
The time is fifth-fastest time in the ACC this season and a top-25 time in the nation.
"It's really been fun watching Morgan develop over the last three years," Meaders said. "She's developed into an excellent competitor, and we still think there's a lot of great things to come from her. I'm really proud of what she's accomplished thus far, and breaking the record set by Addie Bracy is quite an accomplishment."
NEXT UP: The Tar Heels head to the UCS Invitational Feb 16-17 in Winston-Salem, N.C., for a final tune up before the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships (Feb. 22-24) back in Clemson, S.C. Nicole Greene will also be competing in the high jump at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. at 4:25 p.m. ET
Follow the Tar Heels at @unctrack_field on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
