UNC Track & Field: Seven Tar Heels qualify for NCAA Championships

As a whole, the 2024-25 college sports season is coming to an end. However, there are still a couple sports going. We of course have the NCAA Baseball Tournament getting into crunch time, with the Diamond Heels advancing to super regionals against Arizona. However next week in Eugene, Oregon, we’ll have the NCAA Track & Field championships taking place.

As a team, the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s or women’s track teams aren’t likely to compete for the overall team championships, but there are several Heels that will compete in individual events. Ahead of the action kicking off on June 11th, let’s take a look at the Carolina T&F athletes headed to Eugene.

On the men’s side of things, runner Ethan Strand has made arguably the biggest waves of any UNC T&Fer in recent years. Back during the indoor season, he won the national championship in the 3000m, while setting records both in that event and the mile.

Not surprisingly, he will also be in the running — pun somewhat intended — in some events at the NCAA outdoor championships. Strand has qualified for both the men’s 1500m and 5000m events. He will be joined in the 5000 by fellow Heel Colton Sands, who just snuck into the event as the final qualifier for the championships.

The other Tar Heel man headed to Eugene will be Tommy Kitchell. Having won the ACC Championship in the shot put, Kitchell has set school records this season, and will now look to continue that with a good performance at NCAAs.

On the women’s side of things, UNC’s biggest hope is probably runner Makayla Paige in the 800m. Having won the national championship in the indoor version of the 800, Paige qualified for the championship meet with the fourth best time for the outdoor version.

At the very next distance, senior Taryn Parks is into the prelims at the 1500m. Sydney Masciarelli is the ninth seed in the 3000m steeplechase, having finished third in the ACC this year. In the field events, Katie Joyce will compete in the finals of the javelin throw, having also won Bronze at ACCs.

Track and Field at the NCAA level features not only the best in up and coming American T&F athletes, but also a lot of the best from around the world. Winning the national title will be a difficult task for any of the Tar Heels headed out to Eugene, but we wish the best of luck yo all of them.