Team History

 Team History

Much of the history of UNC's club cross-country team has been lost to time, remaining only as legend in the tales of club teams past. The facts are few, the stories many. Tradition has the club team as being founded in 1999, one of the first collegiate club running teams to be created. For the first few several years of its existence, the group persevered, few in number but devoted to the idea of club. Our story begins in the fall of 2006, when a small band of runners began to mark Carolina's name down among the greats of inter-collegiate club running.

2006

On November 4th, the club team journeyed up to Penn State University and State College, Pennsylvania for the first intercollegiate club XC championships, organized by the new club running association, NIRCA. Paced by Brock Phillips on the men's side and Kelly Weinel on the women's, Carolina placed 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the team competition, winning the inaugural men's nationals.

A sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, Phillips established himself among the leaders early in the race, eventually breaking away from a pack of Wisconsin runners to win in 25:44, a remarkable time for a hilly course. Junior TJ Sullivan joined Brock in the top 10, placing 6th in a time of 26:23. Rounding out UNC's top five were an impressive trio of freshmen: Zach McKee (26:58), Jimmy Waters (27:12), and Matt Cline (27:13). Future club legends Sam (Dad) Harris, Dan Hoer, Ross Kimbell, and Chris Castro-Rappl also had noteworthy performances.

 The women were led to a third place finish by Kelly Weinel, who finished 6th with a time of 24:46 for 6k. Rounding out the top 5 were the other four runners on UNC's women's team: Robin Allen, who placed 15th in 25:26, Adrienne Lewis, who placed 31st in a time of 26:35, Melissa Burt, who ran 28:20 to finish 42nd, and Alex Huffman, who placed 52nd with a time of 30:07 - an impressive team performance, considering they only had five runners. 

Beginning a still-standing club tradition, these pioneers of UNC club XC proceeded to sweep the post-race championships that evening, an impressive addition to their performances on the course earlier in the day.

                                          2006 Nationals at Penn State

2007

After coming off a nationals performance the previous fall that could only be described as "impressive", "dominant", and "heroic", Carolina once again went in quest of another national championship. Particularly notable was the creation of the now-renowned UNC Invite, where our Tar Heels began a tradition of home meet dominance that extends to modern times. The race itself, to put it simply, was a demonstration of team running: on the women's side, UNC swept the first 8 places and 9 out of the top 10, while the men had the first 6 runners across the line and 12 of the first 14. The women's individual championship was won by Ali Cupito who, along with fellow sophomores Kate Dickson and Erin Becker, formed the nucleus for many successful races in the next three years. Philip (Pheel) Curley, a highly-touted freshman from NCSSM, took the men's race by 13 seconds over sophomore Ross Kimball.

On the first weekend of November, the men's and women's teams traveled to Indiana University and Bloomington to compete against an increasingly competitive field. The women's team matched their third place finish from 2006, finishing a single point behind second place Penn State. 
Junior Amanda Gutierrez led the way with her 5th place finish in a time of 24:11. UNC's pack of Kate Dickson, Erin Becker, and Ali Cupito finished in 12th, 13th, and 15th, respectively, to put Carolina in the hunt for a team title. Finishing out the top 5 was junior Emily Williams, who placed 24th in 26:09. 

The men's team was led, once again, by Brock Philips who, while unable to repeat his individual title, finished 5th in 26:24, leading the squad to a fourth place finish on the hills of IU's course. Freshman phenom Philip Curley placed 21st in 27:30, while TJ Sullivan, Matt Cline, and Andrew Neel rounded out the top 5 for the Heels.

                                           2007 Club XC team

2008

The 2008 season saw the introduction of a formidable and talented group of freshmen on both the men's and the women's teams. The season got off to a successful start, with both sides winning their respective team races at the second annual UNC Invitational. Led by sophomore Philip Curley, the men placed 6 in the top 8, including three freshmen: Greg Barnes, Brett Baggett, and Ben Vollmer. Heather Hofmann, a freshman from Greensboro, led the women's team with a second place finish. Right behind her was a strong pack of Heels: Lisa Vogel, Kate Dickson, and Katie Hunold, in 3rd - 5th.

At nationals, the women's team again represented UNC well, placing 5th out of 16 teams. Leading the way, Heather Hofmann finished 11th, running 24:10 on a tough 6k course. Kate Dickson continued her streak of running well at nationals, finishing 25th in 24:49. Next across the line was senior Emily Williams, who finished 37th, closely followed by Katie Hunold in 40th. Rounding out the top 5 was junior Lauren Catalano, who placed 71st. The men's team, having lost front-runners Brock Philips and Dan Hoer to the wilds of Thailand, acquitted itself well for a young group, finishing 8th, with its top five being all freshmen. Thomas Willauer from Winston-Salem led the group, placing 38th in 29:06, with Brett Baggett, Ben Vollmer, and Greg Barnes close behind in 44th, 48th, and 50th. Paul Greback-Clarke finished the scoring, placing 59th in 29:28.

2009

On the men's side, 2009 was the year of the Silverbacks. Runners such as Brock Phillips, Chris Castro-Rappl, Ross Kimball, Davis Gooch, Matt Cline, and Sam Harris laced up their spikes for one last season. While Brock rounded into shape after a semester abroad, the team was led up front by sophomores Greg Barnes and Ben Vollmer and freshmen Brady Lawrence and Sam Reed. The season started off at the Hagan Stone XC Classic in Greensboro, where the team placed second to Division I  Liberty University. After suffering a close lost to Clemson at the UNC Invitational, the squad headed off to NIRCA Nationals in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Greg Barnes and Brock Phillips once again sparked the Heels, closely followed by Brady Lawrence and Ben Vollmer, as UNC placed 8th in a competitive field.

The women's team also improved over the course of the season. They started off the season by putting up some very impressive times at the Hagan Stone XC Classic, with Sarah Hart leading the way in 19:56. Next, the Heels lost a close race to Clemson at UNC's home meet, only a single point behind. Nevertheless, led by Heather Hofmann, Ali Cupito, and freshmen Ganna Bowen and Bri Jackowski, they righted the ship at Nationals, finishing 5th in a promising performance. Returning all of their top 5, including juniors Kate Dickson and Erin Becker, the team looked forward to 2010 as the year to get back on the podium at Nationals.

2010

Depth was the word of the year on both the women's and men's sides. With the addition of some talented freshmen to the women's team and the rise of several sophomores on both squads, the Heels were ready to challenge the best teams in the country. At the Hagan Stone Invitational, the traditional start to the season, both teams more than proved their potential. The men put 8 runners under 27:30 on the fast course with Brett Baggett taking individual honors, while the women captured the team title in a great display of pack running. At the UNC Invitational, both teams reclaimed team titles, while freshman Chelsea Weiermiller from Atlanta captured the women's race by two seconds. Behind her was a close pack that swept places 3-9, establishing UNC as a team to be beat at Nationals. The men's team, while unable to beat Wallace Campbell of Clemson, took the next four spots and 7 of the top 10.

2010 marked the first time that the Heels raced at NIRCA Southeast regionals. The women's team, led by Chelsea Weiermiller and Katie Lonergan, placed third despite missing several top runners and only fielding five runners. The men's squad also placed third, with Brett Baggett running a blazing 25:15 to take third and Brady Lawrence, Reese Wells, and Dan Richey providing solid performances. Next up for Carolina was NIRCA Nationals in Bloomington, Indiana. Again, Brett Baggett and Chelsea Weiermiller led the way, with Brett earning All-American honors with his 25th place finish. Depth was once again a strength for both teams, as strong packs produced a 7th place finish for the women and an 8th place finish for the men.
 

2011

With Nationals at McAlpine in Charlotte this year, the Heels had some extra motivation to run well. The women's team was characterized by incredible depth, with as many as 8 runners vying for a top 5 spot in a given race. The men's side, led by a few seasoned upperclassmen, saw several freshmen establish themselves as integral parts of the team. First up was the Elon Invitational, where Carolina tested themselves against D 1 competition, coming away with a 4th and 5th place finishes for the men's and women's teams. Next was the Hagan Stone XC Classic, where, to put it simply, both teams dominated. UNC's women had 6 of the top 10 finishers and an incredible 1-5 split of 52 seconds as they took home the team title. UNC's men's team, led by 2nd place finisher Ben Vollmer, averaged a quick 27:27 to beat D 1 UNC Greensoboro.

At NIRCA regionals in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Heels once again turned in top performances, taking both the men's and the women's team titles. Led by Ganna Bowen's runner-up finish, the women's team placed 6 in the top 15 to average a very fast 20:13 for 5k. Ben Vollmer led the men's team with his 3rd place finish, as the squad placed 4 in the top 15, including freshman Connor Belson and "Ollie Rose", who made a clutch last-second appearance in place of "Scott Lallier". Carolina's attention then turned to Nationals.The men's team, while finishing 13th, gave hope for the seasons to come as several runners in the top 7 were freshmen. With Dan Richey and Ben Vollmer leading the way, the men averaged a quick 26:26 for 8k. With Ganna Bowen finishing 4th, Chelsea Weiermiller 11th, and Bri Jackowski 32nd, the women put their team depth on display, with several runners stepping up and running well. Averaging a lightning fast 23:15 for 6k, the women would returned the majority of their team in 2012, setting them up for a run at the team title.