Kate Brynildsen of Chapel Hill, 19, was the top female finisher June 20 at the inaugural Hoppin' Fun Retro Run in Greensboro. Brynildsen's time of 20:38 was good for eighth place overall in the "groovy" 5K, organizers of which encouraged runners to garb themselves in '60s and '70s gear.

Her younger brother Alex Brynildsen, 17, finished 34th overall in 25 minutes flat and was second in his age-group. He's a rising senior at Hargrave Military Academy, and there was no word whether or not he opted for period costume.

Elite teenage runner Erick Montoya of Florida, in town for the Nike Outdoor nationals, won the 5K with a time of 15:51.

Good showing by CHHS team at Nike

Chapel Hill High School's distance medley relay team competed the Nike Outdoor Nationals last weekend at N.C. A&T University's Belk Track, where they finished 18th nationally. They did the 1600-1200-800-400 combo in 10:37.14. UVa freshman Taylor Gilland, who'd won his third NCHSAA 3,200 title on that same track just weeks before, was the lone 2009 CHHS senior in the relay. Asher Colburn-Hertzberg is in the class of 2011, while Liam Stott and Wes Sutter are rising seniors at CHHS.

Woodlands Track Club won the distance relay with a time of 9:55.17.

Meanwhile, at the Mack

Hillborough's Russell Westbrook won the Mack Fest Fitness Challenge 5K at Lake Macintosh near Burlington on June 13 with a time of 17:31. Missy Foy of nearby Cedar Grove was the top female runner and sixth overall with a 20:50.

Austin Guiles of Chapel Hill was the top area finisher in the Mack Fest 10K, clocking in at 43:13 to win the men's 50-59 bracket and won sixth place overall. Daniel Lotz of Chapel Hill was 29th overall in the 10K, in at 1:03:44.

Peppers expected back

Former UNC all-star Julius Peppers signed a one-year, $16.7 million tender with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, five months after he first announced he wanted to play elsewhere. The four-time Pro Bowler had wanted to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, and other teams were interested, but the deal-breaker may have been Carolina's terms that required two first-round draft picks in return. It all means Peppers should be present for the start of Carolina's training camp.

"Recently, I've had positive and productive discussions with the organization," Peppers said in a statement released by his agent, Carl Carey. "I am optimistic and focused as I look forward to the upcoming NFL season."

Success on the ice

As of Wednesday, more than 10,000 tickets have been sold already for the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, says Carolina grad Hill Carrow. He's confident the event at the Greensboro Coliseum will eclipse the attendance record of 160,000 fans at the 2007 championships in Spokane, Wash.

"Obviously we have a ways to go, but when you look at how cruddy the economy is going, I'm very pleased with where we are," Carrow told the Greensboro News & Record last week.

Carrow's Sports & Properties, a Cary-based sports consulting firm, is organizing and marketing the championships. Carrow was the leader of local organizers who brought the Olympic Sports Festival to the Triangle in 1987.

Carolina alums to return to Dean Dome

The University of North Carolina will host an alumni basketball game featuring current professional players at 8 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The game tips off the university's 100th season of men's basketball.

Tickets cost $20.

Retired players will not participate in the pro game, said Matt Bowers, an assistant sports information director at North Carolina. That would mean no Michael Jordan. (MJ has Hall of Fame obligations this summer, anyway). But UNC will hold a reunion weekend Feb. 12-13, near the end of the the ACC regular season, and several retired pro players are expected to attend.

Proceeds from the pro exhibition game will benefit the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNC Children's Hospitals.

Gilliam signs, heads to British Columbia

Former East Chapel Hill and UNC Greensboro baseball player Rob Gilliam has signed a contract with the Oakland Athletics, the team announced Wednesday. Gilliam was selected by the Athletics in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft on June 10. It marked the 13th time in the past 14 years that at least one UNCG player has been drafted.

Gilliam left on Tuesday for British Columbia, where he reported to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. The Canadians are the short-season single-A affiliate of the A's.

Sporting a low- to mid-90s fastball, Gilliam began the 2009 season as a UNCG starter before returning to his more natural position in the bullpen. As a reliever last season, Gilliam posted a 4.12 ERA and a 4-3 record to go along with his four saves. He struck out 66 batters in 54 2/3 innings of relief while yielding just 16 walks. Opposing hitters also batted just .193 against Gilliam when he came out of the bullpen.

Gilliam's efforts this past season were some of the best in the Southern Conference. He led the conference in opponents' batting average, with hitters going just .224 against him. His 78 total strikeouts this season were seventh in the conference, but he struck out a league-high 35 batters looking.

In his three years at UNCG, Gilliam stamped his place in the school record books. His seven saves in 2008 were the fifth-most in a single season by a Spartan and his four saves last season tied him for 10th all-time in the same category. Those 11 saves rank him fourth in school history in career saves, and he tied for ninth for most games relieved with 62.