North Carolina
Don Kirby Elite Invitational
Tar Heels Head Back on the Road for Action-Packed Weekend
February 13, 2020 | Track & Field
Clemson, S.C. / Boston, Mass. / Albuquerque, N.M. - The University of North Carolina track & field program will send athletes to four separate meets Friday and Saturday –– Clemson's Tiger Paw Invitational, Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invitational, New Mexico's Don Kirby Elite Invitational and the 2020 USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
A contingent of 16 Carolina distance runners runners will make the trip to Boston, Mass. for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational while a group of 25 athletes consisting of sprinters and field competitors will travel to Clemson, S.C. for the Tiger Paw Invitational.
The Tar Heels will also have two individuals in competition on the weekend. Junior Madias Loper will compete in the men's shot put at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational while Daniel McArthur will compete in the same event at the 2020 USATF Indoor Championships, both in Albuquerque, N.M. Loper and McArthur are set to compete on Friday at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday at 3:35 p.m, respectively.
The Valentine Invitational is set to get underway on Friday on the track at 11:00 a.m. before kicking off on the field at 1:00 p.m. Day one of the two-day competition in Boston concludes Friday at 10:40 p.m. before picking back up at 9:00 a.m. Saturday. The Tiger Paw Invitational is set to begin competition at 12 p.m. on both the track and the field and conclude at 6:15 p.m. with the men's 60-meter final. Competition in Clemson will pick up for day two on the field at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
A full schedule of events and a link to live results are available at GoHeels.com.
Fans can also follow @unctrack_field on Twitter and Instagram for 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.
David Hemery Valentine Invitational:
Live Results | Performance List (PDF) | Schedule (PDF) | Live Stream ($)
Tiger Paw Invitational:
Live Results | Heat Sheet (PDF) | Schedule (PDF) | Meet Info (PDF)
Don Kirby Elite Invitational:
Live Results | Heat Sheets (PDF) | Schedule (PDF)
USATF Indoor Championships:
Event Schedule | Live Results
LAST TIME OUT
The University of North Carolina track & field program wrapped up the Power Five Invitational Saturday at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Day two of the two-day meet was highlighted by historical performances from Anna Keefer, Emerson Porter and Qhiyal Towns.
Keefer, a junior from St. Michael Albertville, Minn., won the women's long jump with a season-best mark of 20-3.75 (6.19m). Her mark broke the previous meet and facility records in the event, both set at the 2018 Power Five Invitational. After moving into third in school history in the preliminary round, Keefer also competed in Saturday's 60-meter dash final, finishing third with a time of 7.45 seconds. Keefer was second place among collegians in the event with multi-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix taking the win. In the women's pole vault, Emerson Porter broke into the top five in the UNC record book for the first time indoors. Porter, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., won the event with a clearance of 13-5 (4.09m), good for fourth best in school history. Porter also ranks fifth in Carolina history outdoors in the event.
Towns, a sophomore from Newport News, Va., set a new personal record, winning the men's 60-meter dash with a time of 6.74 seconds. The time moves Towns from a tie for sixth to stand alone at second place in the UNC record books. Dontavian Smith, a junior from Roxboro, N.C., finished third in the event with a time of 6.85 seconds. Towns' time also matched the Power Five meet record set in 2018.
Carolina finished the Power Five Invitational with nine personal records across two days of competition. North Carolina also won six events on the weekend along with multiple other podium finishes.
Other Tar Heel Highlights:
• Madias Loper, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., finished third in the men's weight throw with a new personal-record mark of 59-4 (18.08m). Loper also competed in the shot put where he and Daniel McArthur finished second and fourth with marks of 62-9.5 (19.14m) and 56-10.75 (17.34m), respectively.
• Erin Edmundson, a senior from Prospect, Ky., ran a new personal record in the mile with a time of 4:51.02. Emmeline Fisher, a junior from Morehead City, N.C., also competed in the women's mile, winning her section with a time of 4:58.80.
• Jesse Hunt, a junior from Perth, Western Australia, set a new personal record in the men's mile, finishing third with a time of 4:08.85. Brandon Tubby and Alex Milligan took fourth and sixth in the event with times of 4:08.98 and 4:10.10, respectively.
• Isa Paschall, a fifth year from Harrisburg, Pa., won the men's triple jump with a season-best mark of 50-10.75 (15.51m).
• Brianna Isles, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., won the women's triple jump with a mark of 38-6 (11.73m).
• Ian Moini, a junior from Princeton, N.J., set a personal record in the men's 3,000 meters with a time of 8:23.61.
• A team of Ari Cogdell, Brandon Cachon, Jadon Johnson and Isaiah Palmer won the men's 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:09.42.
IN THE RANKINGS
North Carolina currently holds nine top-five times/marks in the ACC as well as 12 top-50 times/marks nationally. Senior Daniel McArthur currently ranks fourth nationally in the men's shot put after extending his own school record –– 66-9.25 (20.35m) –– in the event earlier in the season.
Players Mentioned
