University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships Day 2
Greene & Keefer Capture ACC Titles
February 23, 2018 | Track & Field
CLEMSON, S.C. - North Carolina's Nicole Greene and Anna Keefer captured ACC titles at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex. The championship performances, in addition to All-ACC performances by Alex Cooke, Morgan Ilse and Caroline Alcorta, helped the Tar Heel women into second with one day of the championships remaining.
GREENE FINALLY GETS HER ACC CROWN
Greene, a sophomore from Ponte Vedra, Fla., has twice been All-America in the high jump, and she finished third on Sunday at the USATF Indoor Championships, but the ACC title had always eluded her. After finishing as the runner-up three times and once in third, Greene finally got her conference championship.
With a jump of 5-11¼ (1.81 meters), Greene defeated the only remaining competitor (Alexandria Florent of Wake Forest) to secure the title. She then went on make 6-0½ on her first attempt, and then tie her personal best of 6-2 (1.88 meters) on her first attempt as well. She ultimately bowed out to the bar at 6-3¼ (1.91 meters) that would have set an ACC Championship and Clemson facility record, but Greene has jumped 6-2 twice in six days after having cleared the height at the USATF Indoor Championships.
"She has hit 6-2 twice in six days, but it's different to get the championship," coach Nicole Hudson said. "She has been so close. Both of these girls have beaten her before, but she has continued to plug away waiting for her time. A lot of people come in, roll up their sleeves, everything comes easy and they don't appreciate it. I think she appreciates this victory as much, or more, as anything else. When you compare what we did on Sunday [taking third at the USATF Indoor Championships] and what we did today, this one matters more. This one means more because she's wanted it. She has wanted to be an ACC champion."
Greene becomes North Carolina's 10th ACC champion in the indoor high jump, and the first since Patience Coleman in 2011. Out of 31 ACC Championships that had been perviously contested, Greene's jump of 6-2 matches or exceeds the winning mark from 28 of those competitions.
THE FRESHMAN IS ON TOP
Keefer, a freshman out of St. Michael Albertville, Minn., led the league in the long jump throughout the majority of the season, and Saturday she got back on top as she captured her first ACC championships in the event.
On her fifth jump, Keefer lept for a personal-best 20-2½ (6.16 meters) to move into first, and after that no one could match her.
"Anna has done a tremendous job throughout the fall and throughout her competitions this indoor season of being consistent, having a mission and staying on course, and it showed at the championship level," coach Abigi Id-Deen said. "That's what we want to have for all of our athletes - to continue to have focus, not let a bad meet affect them and remembering that they can always get better. That's the goal for all of our athletes, and she has shown that it is possible."
The jump moved Keefer into the top 25 in the country, and it matches the third-best jump by a freshman in the NCAA.
COOKE AND SHIPPEE EXPLODE IN WEIGHT THROW
Cooke, a redshirt-junior from Lowgap, N.C., has become one of the best weight throwers in UNC history, ranking second on the all-time list since early 2017, but an All-ACC honor had always eluded her in the throwing events. Even this season, Cooke wasn't able to improve upon her personal best mark.
Well, that all changed Friday as Cooke set personal bests on each of her five throws, was pushed into fifth with one throw remaining and then launched her final weight for 66-6 (20.27 meters) to secure second and first-team All-ACC honors. The throw is nearly two feet further than her previous best, and moves her even closer to Laura Gerraughty's school record of 70-3¾.
"It's always been a joy to watch Alex," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "She's a kid that started throwing the weight when she got to college, and we've grown together. This year, she has just improved so much as a competitor. To be able to have her best throw of the year in the biggest meet, to be able to get passed and then respond had just shown how much she has matured as a competitor. I'm extremely proud of her."
Jill Shippee, a freshman from Clifton Park, N.Y, narrowly finished outside of second-team All-ACC honors, throwing for a season-best 63-11 (19.48 meters) to finish seventh and secure two points for the women.
ILSE AND ALCORTA EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
In what was an odd race that was run slow through much of the contest, but finished at a fast pace, Ilse (Dunwoody, Ga.) and Alcorta (Springfield, Va.) claimed second-team All-ACC honors after taking fourth and sixth respectively. Ilse ran 16:41.39 to earn the third All-ACC distinction of her career, and Alcorta crossed the finish line in 16:42.67 to earn All-ACC honors in the event for the third time.
"I'm really pleased with their finishes, especially since they have both been sick over the last two weeks," distance coach Mark VanAlstyne said. "They did a great job blocking that out and fighting for team points and I look for them to fight just as hard tomorrow."
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Women
• Senior Cierra Dunston and sophomore McKinley McNeill qualified for Saturday's 1 p.m. final of the 400 meters. In the prelims, Dunston finished sixth in 54.05 (SB) and McNeill finished eighth in 54.19 (SB).
• Sophomore Brianna Duncan ran 7.32 to finish fourth in the 60-meter prelims and qualify for Saturday's 1:20 p.m. final.
• Senior Blake Dodge qualified for Saturday's 1:40 p.m. final of the women's 800 meters, finished seventh in the prelims with a season-best time of 2:07.61.
• Freshman Emerson Porter jumped a personal-best 12-5 ½ (3.80 meters) in the pole vault.
Men
• Redshirt-sophomore Draven Crist scored the first points for the men, taking seventh in the high jump at 6-10¼ (2.09 meters).
• Senior Kenny Selmon ran a personal-best 46.66 to take second in the 400-meter prelims and qualify for Saturday's 1:10 p.m. final. The mark is fourth in UNC history.
• Freshman Dontavian Smith ran a personal-best 6.80 to finish eighth in the 60-meter prelims and qualify for Saturday's 1:30 p.m. final. The time is also tied for third in UNC history,
"With the women's program, we're starting to see the recruiting efforts really start to pay off," Meaders said. "Our desire has always been to be a balanced team, and you're starting to see significant points scored across the board - the women's distance runners in the 5k, Blake Dodge advancing to the 800-meter final; in the field events, Anna Keefer, the freshman, with the championship, Nicole Greene with the championship, Alex Cooke coming in second and Jill Shippee finishing seventh. Those are really significant points, and we've still got an opportunity in the triple jump tomorrow to add more points."
Meaders wanted to give special recognition to his assistant coaches following Friday's performances.
"I'm really proud of the efforts the assistant coaches have put in," he said. "Coach Hudson has done a fantastic job working with the multis this year, and of course she has done a fantastic job with Nicole Greene and Draven Crist. Coach Id-Deen has come in and taken on a large contingency of the team. He has molded the team into a unit, and I'm really impressed by what he has been able to accomplish in a short period of time. And then Coach VanAlstyne, with the women's distance runners, has done a fantastic job of getting those ladies ready. They have competed well individually in cross country, and now you can see those efforts coming together on the track. They are a significant part of what we have accomplished this weekend."
WOMEN'S STANDINGS
1. Louisville 58
2. North Carolina 43
3. Virginia Tech 32
4. Miami 24
5. Duke 23
6. Florida State 18
7. Virginia 15.5
8. Syracuse 10.5
T9. NC State 10
T9. Pitt 10
11. Wake Forest 9
12. Clemson 8
13. Notre Dame 7
14. Boston College 3
15. Georgia Tech 2
MEN'S STANDINGS
1. Florida State 43
2. Louisville 35
3. NC State 25
4. Syracuse 24
5. Virginia Tech 23
6. Notre Dame 21
7. Virginia 17
T8. Duke 12
T8. Georgia Tech 12
10. Clemson 10
11. Miami 6
T12. North Carolina 2
T12. Wake Forest 2
T12. Pitt 2
SATURDAY PREVIEW
The final day of the meet will resume on Saturday with the field events beginning at 10:30 a.m., and the running events at 12 p.m. The finals of the 60-meter hurdles, mile, 400 meters, 60 meters, 200 meters, 800 meters, 3,000 meters and 4x400 relays will take place Saturday, along with the triple jump, shot put and men's pole vault.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For fans traveling to the Championships, there is no charge for admission.
Live Streaming: ACC Network Extra will live stream action the final day of the Championships, with former Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O'Brien serving as color analyst, reprising the role he first filled at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships. He will be joined by veteran ESPN play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney and sideline reporter Hanna Yates. Coverage will air from noon until the meet's conclusion (approximately 4:30 p.m.)
Livestream: Feb. 24, 12-4:30 p.m. — http://theacc.co/itf18champ0224
Live Results: Live results for the entire weekend will be available courtesy of FlashResults.com.
http://theacc.co/itf18liveresults
2018 ACC Indoor Championships Page: http://theacc.co/2018ACCITF
2018 Indoor Championships Schedule of Events & ACC Weekly Release: http://theacc.co/ACCITFrelease
A full schedule of events, heat sheets and a link to live results are also available at GoHeels.com.
Fans can follow @unctrack_field on Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout the meet. UNC Track & Field is also on Facebook. A recap of performances and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
Players Mentioned
