Fencing, Track & Field Bring Home ACC Championships

Posted on Feb. 29, 2024

Men’s track and field and fencing teams won Atlantic Coast Conference championships this month, marking significant milestones for both programs.

The men’s track and field team captured their first ACC indoor title since 1996 and the fourth in program history. Junior Parker Wolfe won two events, setting the school, meet and ACC records in the mile with a time of 3 minutes, 54.17 seconds, according to Carolina Athletics. He also won the 3,000-meter race with a time of 7:51.11, earning co-MVP honors.

🏆𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐀𝐂𝐂 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 & 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬🏆

– First time since 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟔.
– 𝟒𝐭𝐡 time in school history.#GDTBATH pic.twitter.com/fZV3CzjM9B

— UNC Track & Field • XC (@UNCTrack_Field) February 24, 2024

Junior Ethan Strand finished third in the mile run with a time of 3:58.34 and fourth in the 3,000-meter event. Two other Tar Heels finished in the top 10 in the 3,000-meter: graduates Alex Phillip in fifth and Jake Gebhart in sixth.

The team placed in the top 10 in two other events, with sophomore Blaise Atkinson taking third in 60-meter hurdles and sophomore Spencer Williams placing fourth in shot put with a personal-best of 18.02 meters, according to Carolina Athletics.

UNC won the championship with 93 total points. Wolfe, Strand, Phillip and the men’s distance medley relay team will compete in the upcoming NCAA Championships in Boston March 8–9.

The fencing team captured their first ACC Championship since 1980 and the first title for head coach Matt Jednak ’09, who joined the team in 2019, according to Carolina Athletics.

The Tar Heels dominated the competition with a 3–0 victory in a match that began with a 15–12 win over Boston College, followed by an upset against top-ranked Notre Dame. UNC clinched the championship with a 19–8 victory over Duke.

Freshman Boris Muga was named Most Valuable Fencer after going 8–1 in his competitions. The championship win was dedicated to former coach Ron Miller ’76 (PhD), who began the fencing program in 1967 and coached the team for 52 seasons, winning eight men’s championships and UNC’s first women’s title in 2018. Miller retired in 2019 and died in June 2023.

The 2024 NCAA Fencing National Championships will be held in Columbus, Ohio, March 21–24. Qualifying teams will be announced March 12 .

— Cameron Hayes Fardy ’23