July 23, 2003

North Carolina's track and field teams posted impressive numbers on the track and in the classroom this past spring. A total of 25 team members made the Dean's List, and 38 qualified for the Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll. The men's team had 15 student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher grade point average, and the women's team averaged a 3.044 GPA for the spring semester.

Kym Orr, an academic support counselor for the track team, believes such outstanding numbers are the result of strong communication among athletes, coaches, and the academic support center. "The general approach is to make sure there is an understanding of the responsibility to manage athletics and academics," says Orr.

Head coach Dennis Craddock attributes the success of the students-athletes primarily to their own desires and commitment to be successful. "They know we will not settle for anything less than their best," says Craddock. "We want them to be as good as they can be."

Craddock believes high academic standards attract the best student-athletes to UNC, rather than discouraging them from attending.

"The student-athletes who come to Carolina want to challenge themselves against the best," says Craddock. "They are highly motivated and want to test themselves against other outstanding people. That is why they are so successful on and off the track."

The Tar Heel women won the ACC Championship and finished seventh in the country at the NCAA Championship. The men were third at ACCs and 32nd in the country.

Alice Schmidt was NCAA champion in the 800 meters for the second year in a row, and Shalane Flanagan and Laura Gerraughty placed second in the 5000 meters and shot put, respectively. Vikas Gowda placed fifth nationally in the men's discus, while NCAA indoor champion Adam Shunk placed sixth in the high jump.