Jan. 8, 2009

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina track and field team will open the indoor track and field season on Saturday when the Tar Heels host the Art and Linda Maillet Tar Heel Invitational. Five athletes who earned a combined seven All-America honors a year ago return for the Tar Heels as they look to improve on that mark in 2009. The Art and Linda Maillet Tar Heel Invitational will feature some of the best college track athletes in the Triangle as Carolina will welcome NC State, Duke, NC Central and St. Augustine's to the Eddie Smith Fieldhouse for a scoring meet set to begin at 11 a.m.

Three-time NCAA Champion and 10-time All-America Brie Felnagle will lead the Tar Heel women in the 2009 season after posting her third straight All-America performance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the end of November. Felnagle placed fourth in the meet in Terre Haute, Ind. after claiming a pair of top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships during the track season. The Tacoma, Wash., native placed second in the 3,000 during the indoor season before claiming a ninth place finish in the 1,500 during the outdoor portion of the schedule.

Another indoor and outdoor All-America from a year ago will ease into the season after sitting out the fall training session after an injury as sophomore Patience Coleman will look to duplicate her high jump performance as a true freshman. Another bright spot for the Tar Heels was sophomore LaToya James who closed our her first season in impressive fashion with a school record and fourth place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and will look to carry that momentum over to the indoor season.

With just five seniors on the women's squad the Tar Heels will look for contributions from several of the underclassmen, including a freshman class that was ranked No. 4 in the country by Track & Field News in the fall. Cross country All-America Lauren Holesh will look to provide a good distance balance with Felnagle, while fellow junior Alexandra Coppadge will provide experience in the multi events. Junior Callie Pottinger along with senior Morgan Stengel and Coppadge will serve as the women's team captains during the 2009 season.

A pair of young All-Americas return for the Tar Heel men as triple jumper Austin Davis and high jumper Donte Nall both are coming off stellar performances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Davis placed eighth in the triple jump in Des Moines, Iowa, while Nall notched a fifth place finish in the high jump. Multi athletes Daniel Keller and Mateo Sossah return after redshirting during the outdoor season and will join Matthew Villemain as likely the ACC's lone trio of potential scorers in the heptathlon.

The Tar Heels return a bevy of experienced distance and mid-distance runners in seniors Brock Baker, Ian Bracy, Jeremy Cramer and juniors Zack Dawson and Adam Smith. Cross country All-Region honoree Evan Watchempino will likely anchor the Tar Heel distance events after performing well during the 2008 cross country season. Seniors Ryan Booker and Brian Barrett should provide leadership in the 400 and 400-meter hurdles, while junior Edward Baldwin III will look to continue his development in the jumps after a very successful 2008 season which saw him place fifth at the ACC Outdoor Championships.

Fresh off a pair of NCAA qualifying marks during the indoor and outdoor seasons sophomore Charles Cox will be the Tar Heels main threat in the 200 and 400, events in which he nabbed All-ACC honors a year ago. Fellow sophomore sprinter Kelvin Hardesty will provide depth in the sprints for Carolina after battling through an injury-plagued 2008 campaign. The trio of Austin Davis, Brock Baker and and Ryan Booker will serve as the men's team captains.

The season will get under way Saturday in the first of four home meets during the indoor season for the Tar Heels.