May 25, 2007

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GAINSVILLE, Fla. --- Senior Nick Owens threw 223-10 to win the men's hammer throw as he powered the way for the University of North Carolina track and field teams on the first day of competition at the NCAA East Regional at James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track on the campus of the University of Florida.

Owens posted his winning throw on his fifth attempt of the competition for the No. 13 UNC men, beating out Jon Hart of Liberty, who threw 219-2 in his runner-up performance.

Also punching a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., with a top-five finish was Kelly Fazekas, who finished fifth in the women's shot put. Fazekas threw a new personal best 51-1 on her fourth attempt, improving her second-best mark in school history with the toss.

A pair of Carolina women advanced to Saturday finals with their showings in Friday's preliminaries. Brie Felnagle posted the third-best time of the day in the women's 1,500 meters with her 4:27.52 clocking, while Georgia Kloss won her heat of the women's 800 meters in 2:06.42.

Additionally, Reggie Berry qualified for the finals of the men's 400-meter hurdles, running a career-best 51.00 to finish second in his heat. The time tied him for fourth place on the school's all-time list.

Through five scored events, the Carolina men stand in a tie for fourth place in the team standings with 10 points, while the UNC women have scored four points after five events, putting them in a tie for 19th position.