University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Camel City Invitational - Elite 3,000 Meters
Crist Clears Seven Feet; Ilse And Alcorta Move Into UNC Record Book
February 3, 2018 | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina's Draven Crist cleared seven feet for the first time in the men's high jump at the Art & Linda Maillet UNC Open, and Morgan Ilse and Caroline Alcorta moved into the top five in UNC history with their performances in the Camel City Elite 3,000 meters Saturday.
Coming in to the weekend, Crist, a redshirt-sophomore from Burlington, N.C., had cleared 6-8 ¾ (2.08 meters) three times in the high jump but had never cleared a higher bar. Saturday, on his third attempt at 6-10 ¾ (2.10 meters) he finally set a new personal best. And standing at 6-10, it was the first time he had cleared his own height
"That's a big deal for high jumpers as you progress, that first time you jump over your head," coach Nicole Hudson said. "So now as we continue to grow, and as he continues to grow, alright now you've gone over you're head, let's see how high over your head you can go."
That's exactly what he did. Three attempts later, he cleared the bar again. This time, at 7-0 ¼ (2.14 meters) - the first time he has cleared the seven-foot bench mark. As the son of of a 7-6 high jumper at Florida State and the nephew of a 1984 Olympic decathlete, pressure had always been on Crist to develop into a great high jumper. In the ensuing celebration, as Crist hugged coach Hudson, it was clear that some of that pressure had been lifted.
"High jump is a big part of my family, and it means a lot," Crist said. "To break seven feet is big. I'm the third person in my family. Not a lot of people can say that…High jump is a part of me, and I don't see my life without it."
The jump is fifth best in the ACC this season and is top 40 in the country. It is also the first time a Tar Heel has jumped over seven feet in the high jump since Dylan Moore jumped 7-0 ¼ during the 2012 indoor season.
While the majority of the team was competing at the UNC Open, Morgan Ilse and Caroline Alcorta took to the JDL Fast Track in Winston Salem, N.C. for the Camel City Elite 3,000 meters against some of the best distance runners in the country.
Ilse, a junior from Dunwoody, Ga., finished sixth in a personal-best 9:12.18, a time that ranks second in the ACC, eighth in the NCAA and fourth in UNC history.
Alcorta, a senior from Springfield, Va., took seventh as she crossed the line next to Ilse in 9:12.61. Her time is third in the ACC, ninth in the country and fifth in school history.
"I was really happy to see Caroline and Morgan perform exceptionally well, moving their names up on the UNC record books and putting their names on the NCAA top-10 list," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "Those kids are exceptionally talented. They led the women's cross country program this fall, and we really have high expectations. I'm really glad to see them have a good mid-season race. They've been working with coach [Mark] VanAlstyne and coach [Logan] Roberts, and that hard work is paying off."
OTHER ART & LINDA MAILLET UNC OPEN HIGHLIGHTS
Men
• Brodie Modini won his first collegiate mile in 4:13.21.
• Mitch Resor won the 5,000 meters in 14:54.47.
Women
• Brianna Duncan qualified for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships with her winning mark of 19-2 ¾ (5.86 meters) in the long jump.
• Alex Cooke threw for 63-2 (19.25 meters) to win the weight throw, and Jill Shippee took second with her throw of 59-5 (18.11 meters).
• Madeline Kraft won the 800 meters in 2:17.40.
• Lindsey Lanier set a personal best in the mile of 5:09.77, taking third.
• Emma Astrike-Davis won the 3,000 meters in 10:12.13.
• Anna Eaton won the women's pole vault with her jump of 11-11 ¾ (3.65 meters).
• Alexis Gannon, Brianna Isles, Janice Ezenwa and Peighton Simmons claimed the top four spots of the women's triple jump.
NEXT UP: The Tar Heels will split the weekend at the Tiger Paw Invite in Clemson, S.C., and the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 9-10. Follow the Tar Heels at @unctrack_field on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
