AUSTIN, Texas – With the outdoor season beginning next week, FloTrack released its preseason All-Americans on Thursday, including Virginia Tech's Marek Barta, Vincent Ciattei, Sarah Edwards, Lisa Gunnarsson, Torben Laidig and Deakin Volz.
Five of the six Hokies are coming off All-America honors during the indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas, as Barta did not suit up for indoor with the discus being only an outdoor event.
Three pole vaulters headline the group for Tech, the most of any event. Under the watch of pole vault coach Bob Philips, Gunnarsson placed fourth on the women's side, while Volz earned a bronze medal and Laidig took 13th on the men's side at NCAAs last weekend.
Distance runners Vincent Ciattei and Sarah Edwards are coming into the outdoor season with some momentum. Ciattei won gold at the ACC Indoor Championships in the mile and earned silver at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while running the first leg on the national champion distance medley relay. Edwards took second at ACCs and ran the anchor on the school-record DMR that earned bronze at NCAAs.
Ciattei is a preseason All-American in the 1,500 meters, with the Maryland native taking ninth place last season at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Edwards placed 10th last season in Eugene in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after she won the 2017 ACC Outdoor Championships.
The discus event for the Hokies will be led by Barta, who placed seventh last season at Hayward Field. The redshirt junior also took silver at ACCs in 2017. Barta owns the school record in the discus throw with a mark of 61.38 meters (201 feet, 4 inches).
The group will enjoy the weekend off before hitting the road on March 23-24 to compete in the Weems Baskin Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina, kicking off the outdoor season.