Seven Tar Heels Headed To Hayward For NCAAs

Wednesday, June 10

Eugene, Ore.

All Day

North Carolina

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Makayla Paige Wins east regional in women's 800m

June 3, 2026 | Track & Field

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- Carolina track and field is sending seven student athletes to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13.

Fans can follow along on Flash Results.

Broadcast Links:

Men's Day 1 (Wednesday)

Women's Day 1 (Thursday)

Women's Day 2 (Saturday)

The women's team is sending six women to the national championships, the largest number since 2011. This is the first since 2010-11 that Carolina has sent at least four women in back-to-back years.

All seven athletes who made it to the national championships scored for Carolina during the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.

The first athlete to compete at Historic Hayward Field is Tomer Tarragano, the third Tar Heel to qualify in the 10k. Alex Phillip qualified in 2024, and Steve Sparrow qualified in 1983. In his lone season in Chapel Hill, Tarragano has etched his name in program history with the fifth fastest 10k time in program history (28:53.36). He also earned a bronze medal at the ACC Championships in the same event.

Sydney Masciarelli became the first women's 3,000m steeplechaser to make back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championships since Cassie King in 2005 and 2006. Masciarelli shattered her school record by 8.61 seconds, marking the second time she broke it at the East Regional. Sydney Masciarelli finished as the East Region champion, running the fastest time from both heats. Masciarelli was part of the distance medley relay squad that set the NCAA record in the DMR at Penn Relays (10:36.82).

Makayla Paige was also crowned regional champion, winning the women's 800m. Paige punched her ticket to the national championships for the third season in a row, a feat not achieved by a women's 800m runner since Georgia Kloss from 2005-2007. Paige ran under 1:59 for the second time in her career to win the East Regional. She has run under 2:01 in the 800m eleven times in her career. She is the only athlete in program history to run under 2:01 indoors and outdoors. Paige was part of the distance medley relay squad that set the NCAA record in the DMR at Penn Relays (10:36.82).

Brynn Brown and Vera Sjoberg both punched their tickets to the national championships in the 5,000m. The last time Carolina sent athletes in the women's 5,000m was Morgan Ilse in 2018, and has never sent two runners in the championships. Brown qualified for the national championship for the first time in her career, and Sjoberg is going for the second straight year.

In her lone year in Chapel Hill, Sjoberg has set four program records and is in the top ten for two others. Sjoberg anchored the distance medley relay squad that set the NCAA record in the DMR at Penn Relays (10:36.82). She also brought home two bronze medals at the ACC Championships in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

1st: Mile: 4:29.14
1st: 10k: 32:48.29
1st: 3k: 8:43.06
1st: DMR: 10:36.82
3rd: 1,500: 4:10.36
2nd: 5k: 15:34.31

Brown and Sjoberg are the ninth and tenth individual athletes to qualify for the national championships in the 5,000m in program history.

Kosi Umerah punched her ticket to the national championship in the women's hammer throw. She is the first women's hammer thrower to qualify since Jill Shippee in 2022 and the fifth athlete overall. Umerah was also the first athlete for coach Kitchell to earn a spot in the national championship, as Kitchell is in his first year as the throws coach. Umerah improved by 4.77 meters over the course of this season. Umerah moved up the record book as she launched the second farthest throw in Carolina history at the Virginia Challenge. (65.71m 215' 7")

Spencer Young (51.05m) followed up Umerah's qualification with one of her own in the women's javelin. Young had the best series of her life, as she PRed in her first and third throws of the day. Coming into this year, Young's PR was 46.01m, and she improved by five meters, leaving today with a 51.05m personal best mark to advance, becoming the second straight javelin thrower to make it to Oregon, as Kate Joyce qualified last season. Young's debut marks the sixth time that Carolina has had a javelin thrower at the last meet of the season since 2019. Young is the eighth athlete to qualify in the javelin. Young has PR'd at four different meets this season.

Schedule

Wednesday:

10:56 p.m. EST: Men's 10,000m (Final)