UNC Track & Field/Cross Country 2025-2026
- Thread starter LakeHeel
- Start date
Alright, so we're going to need to monitor a bit today but I think we should be okay.
With 5/9 regionals completed and projections for the remaining 6, the women are the 13th of 14 at-large teams in. That sounds slightly scary, but Virginia (Behind us in 4th), would be the 7th of 14 if they were 3rd. What that means is that Virginia would "push" us in if they wouldn't qualify otherwise.
With 4/9 regionals completed and projections for the remaining 7, the men are 11th of 14 at-large teams. Note, we push in VT, so in a bit of a similar scenario to Virginia above, the men would be 10th of 14 if they were 4th.
With 5/9 regionals completed and projections for the remaining 6, the women are the 13th of 14 at-large teams in. That sounds slightly scary, but Virginia (Behind us in 4th), would be the 7th of 14 if they were 3rd. What that means is that Virginia would "push" us in if they wouldn't qualify otherwise.
With 4/9 regionals completed and projections for the remaining 7, the men are 11th of 14 at-large teams. Note, we push in VT, so in a bit of a similar scenario to Virginia above, the men would be 10th of 14 if they were 4th.
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On cue...the 6th women's regional comes in and we no longer are qualifying on our own. But, we are pushed in by our friends in Charlottesville to be the 8th at-large team.
All women's regionals are in and UVA pushes us in as the 6th at-large
Added a really promising decathlete to the team.
USATF U20 bronze medalist. His 6857 in that meet would have placed 7th at the ACC Championships his PB of 7133 also would have placed 7th. He did it as a Junior in high school.
It appears he just started competing in this sport and set a state record in his first ever meet posting that 7133 listed above:
Josh Haven ‘26 stunned at the Arcadia Invitational, clinching the decathlon with a jaw-dropping 7,133 points—setting school & state junior class records!
Congratulations to Josh on completing his first-ever decathlon with 7 PRs and a clutch javelin throw, sealing his #1 U18 world ranking. Grit, poise, and a 4:59.91 1500m to cap it off!
I did not see him ranked on the world athletics site, which means this race was probably not sanctioned.
USATF U20 bronze medalist. His 6857 in that meet would have placed 7th at the ACC Championships his PB of 7133 also would have placed 7th. He did it as a Junior in high school.
It appears he just started competing in this sport and set a state record in his first ever meet posting that 7133 listed above:
Bellarmine College Preparatory
dnoteprSos99tit0ga041h20uggagM1iig60cgm5cg6agh3m9lm h2422y32 ·Josh Haven ‘26 stunned at the Arcadia Invitational, clinching the decathlon with a jaw-dropping 7,133 points—setting school & state junior class records!
I did not see him ranked on the world athletics site, which means this race was probably not sanctioned.
Women finished 11th, not brown’s best run. But there was a huge gap between 10th and 9th so didn’t make a big difference
The women did good today. I am so proud of them. Coach needs to continue to bring one or two studs in every year so that the women's program will not go down. I am glad that NC State women's won today. The commentators do not like the ACC. They talked by BYU, etc.
Brown definitely gassed.
but what a day for Sjoberg! Finishing 8th overall means we got another All-American! Listed as a senior so I assume that is all we get out of her for cross country. I can’t wait to see her in T&F though
11th is a great day for this team.
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Men’s team finished according to their seeding at 28th but we are obviously in a rebuilding year.
the scoring shown on screen at this otherwise well produced event is so frustrating. Every split and the final results they showed I thought we were running around 20th, but that is because they don’t even leave it up their long enough to show the teams with late stragglers who passed us overall. Had to log into the website afterwards for the let down.
the scoring shown on screen at this otherwise well produced event is so frustrating. Every split and the final results they showed I thought we were running around 20th, but that is because they don’t even leave it up their long enough to show the teams with late stragglers who passed us overall. Had to log into the website afterwards for the let down.
Sjöberg Becomes Eighth-Fastest 3k Athlete In NCAA History - University of North Carolina Athletics
Vera Sjöberg (8:43.06) is now the eighth fastest athlete in NCAA history as she shattered the twenty-two-year-old school record held by Shalane Flanagan...
Added some 2026 sprinter commits in the last week. Not sure any of these will move the needle immediately in terms of points at a championship but they are likely an improvement to the squad as a whole; we seem to still be focusing on distance and a few field events. But Parfaite and Hunter look promising.
20.95 in the 200 would finish 8th at the ACC Outdoor Meet, scoring. He does not have an indoor time, but obviously viable there as well.
47.21 would finish 16th at the ACC meet, missing the finals, but would improve the 4x400 team
worldathletics.org
I think her 400M time is a typo, should be 54.73. Solid depth for the 4x400 team but would not score individually
worldathletics.org
4.60 in the 60M is right at the borderline for qualifying for the ACC indoor meet (top 20), would not make the final. (we qualified no one at this distance last year.)
Will likely help fill out the 4x100 relay
worldathletics.org
Her 11.54 PB would have qualified for the ACC Meet but place 13th and miss the final, but better than anyone on the UNC team last season.
Her 23.58 PB in the 200 (her best event) would have finished 8th in the preliminary and thus she would have reached the final and scored.
She runs the 60 indoor as well
20.95 in the 200 would finish 8th at the ACC Outdoor Meet, scoring. He does not have an indoor time, but obviously viable there as well.
47.21 would finish 16th at the ACC meet, missing the finals, but would improve the 4x400 team
Chloe ELDER | Profile | World Athletics
Chloe ELDER, United States - 400 Metres, 200 Metres, 200 Metres Short Track, 300 Metres, 300 Metres Short Track
worldathletics.org
Coryn TUCKER | Profile | World Athletics
Coryn TUCKER, United States - 100 Metres, 200 Metres, 60 Metres, 200 Metres Short Track, 4x100 Metres Relay, 4x400 Metres Relay
worldathletics.org
Will likely help fill out the 4x100 relay
Morgan PARFAITE | Profile | World Athletics
Morgan PARFAITE, United States - 200 Metres, 100 Metres, 200 Metres Short Track, 60 Metres, 4x100 Metres Relay, 4x200 Metres Relay Short Track
worldathletics.org
Her 23.58 PB in the 200 (her best event) would have finished 8th in the preliminary and thus she would have reached the final and scored.
She runs the 60 indoor as well
So I am focusing on the T&F teams now for the first time this season and noticed that Makayla Paige ran in the mile at the Boston Opener. That is not her best event so the results were just OK, not the point.
She graduated and I thought she was done. But apparently she got a redshirt season for 2023 when she was out? From this post after last season I thought she was done in Tar Heel Blue, but here she is, running again!
She was national champ in the Indoor 800 and 2nd place in NCAA Outdoor as well; perhaps the best runner on the women's team, though Sjoberg is pretty good too.
Together they may get us a score in the DMR as well (we finished 9th last season). Here was our team last season:
She graduated and I thought she was done. But apparently she got a redshirt season for 2023 when she was out? From this post after last season I thought she was done in Tar Heel Blue, but here she is, running again!
She was national champ in the Indoor 800 and 2nd place in NCAA Outdoor as well; perhaps the best runner on the women's team, though Sjoberg is pretty good too.
Together they may get us a score in the DMR as well (we finished 9th last season). Here was our team last season:
- 1200m (Teryn Parks) - graduated, maybe Brynn Brown or Sydney Masciarelli?
- 400m (Delea Martins) - returns, not sure how our 400M women look as a group this season.
- 800m (Ella Auderset) - she returns, but maybe Paige?
- 1600m (Brynn Brown) - she returns , but Sydney Masciarelli, just ran the 2nd fastest mile time in program history. Or maybe Sjoberg?
Paige interview incoming
Note that the 800M outdoor champion, Roisin Willis of Stanford, just decided to turn pro. She was the only woman who finished ahead of Paige in the NCAA outdoor last season, and finished 3rd behind Paige in the indoor.
Looking at last year's top eight at NCAA Indoor:
The other NCAA outdoor finalists were:
Looks like Paige may have a really great chance for more podium finishes if she remains in peak form.
Note that the 800M outdoor champion, Roisin Willis of Stanford, just decided to turn pro. She was the only woman who finished ahead of Paige in the NCAA outdoor last season, and finished 3rd behind Paige in the indoor.
Looking at last year's top eight at NCAA Indoor:
| Pl | Athlete | Time | 2025-26 | Outdoor result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makayla PAIGE North Carolina [SR] | 2:00.39 | Returns to UNC | #2 | |
| 2 | Victoria BOSSONG Harvard [SR] | 2:00.93 | Graduated | #9 | |
| 3 | Roisin WILLIS Stanford [JR] | 2:01.00 | Turned Pro | #1 | |
| 4 | Michaela ROSE LSU [SR] | 2:02.19 | Graduated | #4 | |
| 5 | Smilla KOLBE North Florida [SR] | 2:02.44 | Graduated | #6 | |
| 6 | Gabriella GRISSOM Miami (Fla.) [JR] | 2:02.46 | Returns as grad student | Not in final | |
| 7 | Sophia GORRIARAN Harvard [SO] | 2:02.57 | Returns | Not in final | |
| 8 | Gladys CHEPNGETICH Clemson [SO] | 2:02.60 | Returns, ACC Outdoor Champ last year | Not in final |
The other NCAA outdoor finalists were:
| Pl | Athlete | Time | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roisin WILLIS 7 Stanford [JR] | 1:58.13 | Turned Pro |
| 2 | Makayla PAIGE 6 North Carolina [JR] | 1:58.97 | Returns to UNC |
| 3 | Meghan HUNTER 2 BYU [SR] | 1:59.03 | Graduated |
| 4 | Michaela ROSE 1 LSU [SR] | 1:59.47 | Graduated |
| 5 | Lauren TOLBERT 8 Duke [JR] | 1:59.88 | Returns |
| 6 | Smilla KOLBE 3 North Florida [SR] | 2:00.37 | Graduated |
| 7 | Laura PELLICORO 22 Portland [SR] | 2:00.84 | Graduated |
| 8 | Veronica HARGRAVE 14 Indiana [FR] | 2:01.00 | Returns |
| 9 | Victoria BOSSONG 5 Harvard [SR] | 2:03.86 | Graduated |
Looks like Paige may have a really great chance for more podium finishes if she remains in peak form.