Hokie ClubCOLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior Yavgeniy Olhovsky recorded his third career All-America performance, and sophomore Hunter Hall registered his first, in the pole vault, as the Hokie men sit in seventh place at the end of the first day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at McFerrin Athletic Complex in College Station, Texas on Friday.
The Hokie men racked up 9.5 points on the day and stand in seventh place, while the Tech women qualified two athletes to Saturday’s finals and put together several other strong showings. Oregon leads the men’s team competition with 23 points and BYU tops the women’s field with 18 points.
Olhovsky highlighted the first day of national meet action, with a second-place performance in the men’s pole vault. The Petah-tivka, Israel native cleared 17-10.50 en route to the runner-up effort. The finish added eight points to Tech’s team total and another All-America honor to Olhovsky’s resume.
Olhovsky earned his third All-America accolade and matched the highest finish by a Hokie in the pole vault. Olhovsky also finished second at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, while former Hokie Brian Mondschein placed second at the 2005 outdoor national meet.
Tech received another 1.5 points in the men’s pole vault as sophomore Hunter Hall tied for seventh place in the event with a clearance of 17-02.75. Hall received All-American recognition for the first time in his career. The two pole vaulters combined for all 9.5 of the Hokies’ points.
On the women’s side, senior Natalie Sherbak clocked a 4:42.05 in the women’s mile run preliminaries to advance to the finals of the event on Saturday. The Virginia Beach, Va., native ran the seventh-fastest time in the field in the prelims, and took fourth in her heat. Sherbak will run against three-time defending NCAA cross country champion Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech, ACC 3,000-meter champion Brie Felnagle of North Carolina and ACC mile runner-up Pilar McShane of Florida State among others in the stacked field tomorrow.
In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, junior Kristi Castlin ran the second-fastest time in the prelims, an 8.15, to secure a spot in the finals. The Douglasville, Ga., native won the second heat of the race and will face off against Tiffany Ofili of Michigan. Castlin finished second in the event in 2008 to Ofili.
In other sprints action, junior Asia Washington ended her 2009 indoor campaign with a 14th-place finish in the prelims of the women’s 400-meter dash. Washington, who won the ACC title in the 400-meters two weeks ago, crossed the line in 54.25.
Sophomore Dorotea Habazin put together a strong performance in the women’s weight throw in her first NCAA Indoor Championships. The Zagreb, Croatia native finished ninth in the event, one spot from an All-American recognition, with a toss of 65-02. Habazin, who won the ACC crown in the weight throw on Feb. 27, was the lone ACC thrower in the event and represented the conference well.
The Men’s distance medley relay capped off the day with an 11th-place effort. The quartet of sophomore Eddie Judge, freshman Nick Vaughn, senior Billy Berlin and sophomore Ryan Witt crossed the line in 9:38.94 to finish sixth in the heat.
NCAA Championship action will resume tomorrow at noon with the 60-meter hurdles of the men’s heptathlon. Action will start for the Hokies at 4 p.m., when freshman Abby Schaffer competes in the women’s pole vault. Results will be available at www.hokiesports.com following the day’s events.
Results
Men’s
Pole Vault – 1, Jason Colwick, Rice, 18-04.50, 2, Yavgeniy Olhovsky, Virginia Tech, 17-10.50, 3, Jordan Scott, Kansas, 17-10.50, 4, Jeff Coover, Indiana, 17-06.50, 5, Seth Burney, Nebraska, 17-06.50, 6, Luke Schoen, Albany, 17-06.50, t7, Nick Frawley, Air Force, 17-02.75, t7, Hunter Hall, Virginia Tech, 17-02.75
Women’s
Mile Run – 1, Sarah Bowman, Tennessee, 4:39.22, 2, Brie Felnagle, North Carolina, 4:41.08, 3, Charlotte Browning, Florida, 4:41.38, 4, Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech, 4:41.89, 5, Natalie Sherbak, Virginia Tech, 4:42.05, 6, Kellyn Johnson, Wichita State, 4:42.16, 7, Pilar McShane, Florida State, 4:42.35
60-Meter Hurldes – 1, Tiffany Ofili, Michigan, 8.04, 2, Kristi Castlin, Virginia Tech, 8.15, 3, Vanneisha Ivy, North Carolina, 8.16