Conference competition came to a close April 19-20 in Chapel Hill as the Demon Deacons men's track team placed seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Championships. Several individual athletes also finished in the top 10, including a first-place finish and several All-ACC honors.

"The individuals who won contributed to the teams success," junior Paul Singleton said. "Most of them won in order to help the team out. That's what was really neat about the meet ... the team just all came together.

"We had the entire team, cheering for people during the races, doing our famous 'Doubleuuuuuu ... F U chant.' I've never seen the team bond like that."

Continuing on a season of successes, senior Cliff Neal set the tone on the field. His mark of 193'10" in the hammer throw secured him a first-place finish in the event. Seventh place belonged to junior Tom Tymann in the shot put as he broke his personal best record in the shot put with a mark of 52'2.5".

Junior Fabian Davis also tied a personal best in the high jump, clearing 6'8.75" to give him 11th-place finish. Davis' mark of 46'11" also gave him a top 10 finish, placing him ninth in the triple jump.

Junior Michael Eskind was one of two Deacons to earn All-ACC honors as he set a personal record in the decathlon. Eskind's score of 6654 garnered him a third-place finish and freshman Michael Piscetelli finished ninth in the event.

On the track, senior Chris Estwanik also earned All-ACC honors as he finished second in the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meter run. The senior finished the 5,000 meters in 14:21.83, setting a new personal best. Three other Deacons placed in the top 25 in the 5,000 meters.

Senior Ted DeVos was the first Deac to finish after Estwanik, placing seventh with a time of 14:37.53. Junior Jimmy Butler and Senior Sean Nagorny took 13th and 22nd place respectively. Sophomore Nathan Sisco completed the 800 meters in 1:51.45, giving him sixth place, and finished twelfth in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:47.83. Injured senior John Stone also finished well in his sprints. The 4x100 meter relay of sophomore Luke Orman, senior Branston Williams, Davis, and senior Ryan Hamilton finished eighth with a time of :42.86. The 4x400 meter relay team comprised of Hamilton, junior Mike Altieri, Williams and Singleton took seventh, edging out North Carolina with a time of 3:18.27.

With the ACC Championships over, the Deacons have their eyes set on nationals in June.

"Now that the ACC's are over with, our goal is to qualify as many people for nationals as we can," Singleton said.