LOUISVILLE, KY.—Tar Heel distance runners dominated to highlight a strong Saturday at the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships as the UNC men finished fifth and the women were 10th at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center.
Three Tar Heels won individual ACC titles, with two more placing as medalists in an impressive performance across the board by the men’s and women’s distance groups.
The Carolina men scored 44 points on Saturday to move into fifth in the final results.
Taryn Parks won her second consecutive ACC title in the women’s mile in a time of 4:39.36, becoming the first Tar Heel woman to win two in a row since Shalane Flanagan won three straight from 2001-03. Carlee Hansen wasn’t far behind Parks, winning a bronze medal by finishing third in 4:40.03.
“I made a move with 250 [meters] to go, and I just felt like, ‘Slam the door, let’s go, let’s go.'” said Parks in an interview with ACC Network Extra after her win. “I’m happy with how today went and was happy to get as many points as I could for my team, but still I’m excited about what I can do in the future.
Jesse Hunt gave Carolina a sweep in the mile by winning the men’s race in a facility-record 3:58.46. Hunt is the second Tar Heel to win the men’s mile in the last three years, joining Brandon Tubby in 2021.
“It was a great race, so I just bided my time and when I went, it was to win,” said Hunt to ACC Network Extra. “It’s my last ACC Indoors, so to go out like this is just amazing,”
In the men’s 3000m, Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe finished 1-2, respectively in another dominant Tar Heel distance performance. Strand set UNC, meet and facility records with his winning time of 7:46.48 and is UNC’s first 3K ACC indoor winner since 2014. Wolfe took second place in 7:48.33, Jack Aho was fourth in 7:52.16 and Will Coogan was seventh in 7:54.66.
Notable Tar Heel Highlights
• Among other scoring performances, Kyle Reinheimer finished sixth in the men’s 800m in a school-record time of 1:48.35 and Brynn Brown was sixth in the women’s 5K at 9:10.85.
• Isabel Maletich posted a season-best in the women’s triple jump in her first ACC…
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