Cardinal All-Americans add more veteran presence in 2021 to Tar Heels’ track roster after Lundy left Princeton and Siegler departed Yale to conclude collegiate careers in Chapel Hill

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Following weeks of speculation, North Carolina made an official announcement Thursday that former Stanford All-America distance runners Alex Ostberg and Thomas Ratcliffe would be reuniting with Tar Heels coach Chris Miltenberg to complete their collegiate eligibility in Chapel Hill.

Ostberg only has one season of outdoor track remaining, with Ratcliffe having eligibility in cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track.

They are joining fellow veterans Conor Lundy from Princeton and Allen Siegler from Yale, who also transferred to North Carolina after the March 12 decision made by the NCAA to shut down all winter postseason and championship events, in addition to canceling the entire spring athletic schedule.

Although the NCAA Division 1 Council made the decision March 30 to allow seniors competing in spring sports an extra year of eligibility and the opportunity for scholarship relief, the Ivy League maintained its tradition of not allowing graduate student-athletes to compete, resulting in Lundy and Siegler choosing to conclude their collegiate careers with the Tar Heels.

Ostberg and Ratcliffe deciding to depart from Stanford follows Matthew Rizzo leaving the Cardinal after only one indoor track season to transfer to Georgetown, along with Isaac Cortes choosing to complete his collegiate career at UC Riverside.

Fiona O’Keeffe also left the Stanford women’s team to reconnect with her younger sister Olivia O’Keeffe at New Mexico, where she’ll compete as a graduate student-athlete in track during the 2020-21 school year.

Ostberg and Ratcliffe are also reuniting with former Stanford teammate and reigning NCAA Division 1 3,000-meter steeplechase champion Steven Fahy, who moved to North Carolina to train as a post-collegiate athlete with Miltenberg.

Ostberg is a three-time cross country All-American and two-time first-team honoree in indoor track, but is still seeking his first trip to an NCAA outdoor final. He was a member of last year’s runner-up distance medley relay for the Cardinal at the Division 1 indoor championship meet and qualified for the DMR, along with the 3,000 again in March, before the meet was canceled on the eve of the competition.

Ratcliffe is a two-time national finalist in cross country, producing his biggest collegiate achievement at last year’s Division 1 outdoor final by placing third in the 5,000.

Ratcliffe boasts personal bests of 3:44.53 in the 1,500, along with 4:00.04 in the mile, 7:54.36 in the 3,000 and 13:32.81 in the 5,000.

Ostberg has run 3:55.81 in the 1,500, in addition to 3:59.31 in the mile, 7:49.01 in the 3,000, 13:42.44 in the 5,000 and 30:04.99 in the 10,000.