Ciara O'Shea

Ciara O'Shea
University of North Carolina Track & Field v ACC Championships
Kentner Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC
Saturday, May 17, 2025

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

Ciara O'Shea
University of North Carolina Track & Field v Duke Invitational
Morris Williams Stadium
Durham, NC
Friday, April 11, 2025

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

Position:
Distance
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Richmond, Ky.
High School:
Madison Central

2026 INDOOR SEASON: Opened her season with a third-place finish in the mile at the Dick Taylor Challenge... Improved on her all-time mark (7th all-time) in the women's 3000m (9:15.52) as she won her heat at the Brant Tolsma Invitational... PRed in the 3000m (9:14.75) and ran in the 5000m at the ACC Championships...

2025 XC Made her season debut at the Adidas XC Challenge, where she was the first Tar Heel to cross the finish line (6th)... For the second straight weekend, she lead the Tar Heels with an 11th-place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational (6k)...Competed at the Nuttycombe Invitational (6k)... Earned All-Region honors at the NCAA Southeast Regional as she finished in 15th... Ran in the NCAA Championship.

2025 INDOOR SEASON: Competed in four meets… Ran the seventh-fastest 3000m time in Carolina history at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational… OUTDOOR SEASON: Competed in four meets in the 5,000m and 1,500m… PRed in the 5,000m (16:11.73) at the ACC Championships and the 1,500m (4:24.50) at the Duke Invitational

2024 XC: Made college debut at the Charlotte Opener … Competed in the Virginia Invitational and the Nuttycombe Invitational

2024 SEASON: Missed the entirety of her freshmen due to injury.

Before UNC: Graduate of Madison Central High School … 2022-23 Gatorade Kentucky Girl’s Cross Country Player of the Year … Won five straight 3A cross country titles and became the state’s first All-America performer since 2014 … Placed fifth at the 2022 Champs Sports National Championship meet …. Won three KHSAA 3200-meter and two 1600-meter state championships … All-Academic Team … Soccer letterwinner.

More on O’Shea: Born in Richmond, Ky., to Ken and Jamie O’Shea … Both parents ran at Eastern Kentucky University … Has three siblings: Connor, Gavin and Teagan … Connor is on the track team at East Carolina University and Gavin was a soccer letterman at IUPUI in 2022 … Birthday is No. 18.