Three of country’s top prep distance runners choose Chapel Hill as their college destination before fall signing period begins, as Miltenberg continues to build cross country and track programs into national contenders early in his tenure

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Regardless of what the 2020-21 school year looks like in terms of cross country or track competition for the University of North Carolina as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, Tar Heels coach Chris Miltenberg continues to make big strides for the future of both programs in Chapel Hill.

In a span of less than 24 hours Sunday and Monday, North Carolina received verbal commitments from 2018 Foot Locker cross country national champion Sydney Masciarelli of Marianapolis Prep in Connecticut, along with 2018 Foot Locker All-American and two-time Nike Cross Nationals finalist Brynn Brown of Denton Guyer in Texas, as well as national indoor 600-meter leader and all-state cross country performer Makayla Paige of Tewksbury Memorial in Massachusetts.

Masciarelli added a seventh-place finish at last year’s Foot Locker Nationals, along with winning 2019 New Balance Nationals outdoor championships at the 2-mile (10:11.99) and 5,000-meter (16:16.20) distances. She also ran a personal-best 9:21.44 in the 3,000 last year in the Bentley Twilight Series.

Brown ran a 9:39.38 time trial in the 3,200 meters in May, with the assistance of male athletes pacing. She has run 9:57.54 for 2 miles at last year’s Brooks PR Invitational and 4:48.37 in the 1,600 at the 2019 UIL 6A state final.

Brown also placed 18th at the 2018 Foot Locker finals and 23rd at last year’s NXN competition, after finishing 50th in 2018 in Portland, Ore.

Paige ran 1:29.70 to win the 600 at the MIAA Division 3 indoor state championships to produce the national leader. She also achieved a pair of top 10 national indoor marks by running 1:12.35 in the 500 and 2:08.01 in the 800, along with showcasing even more versatility by clocking 40.13 in the 300 and 2:59.86 in the 1,000.

The verbal commitments for Brown, Masciarelli and Paige follow a strong women’s signing class for Miltenberg in his first year in Chapel Hill, including Taryn Parks of Greencastle Antrim in Pennsylvania, Sasha Neglia of Dobyns-Bennett in Tennessee, Ava Dobson of St. Joseph’s Catholic School in South Carolina, Sarah Trainor of Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York and Kelsey Harrington of Virginia High.

Also on Monday, North Carolina received a verbal commitment from Colton Sands, a senior at Penns Valley Area in Pennsylvania.

Sands placed 10th at Foot Locker nationals last year to earn All-America honors. He has also run 8:31.96 in the indoor 3,000 meters, along with outdoor personal bests of 4:16.43 in the 1,600 and 9:24.75 in the 3,200, which he was unable to improve upon during the spring due to the Coronavirus pandemic cancelling his junior outdoor season.

Sands follows Patrick Anderson, a Mount Lebanon graduate and Tar Heels freshman, along with another former Pennsylvania standout in Parks in choosing to run for North Carolina.