Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Starting the outdoor season with both of its men and women ranked, the Virginia Tech track and field teams will head south to Columbia, South Carolina, competing in the Weems Baskin Invitational at Sheila and Morris Cregger Track on Friday and Saturday.
The two-day meet will be on the campus of South Carolina and will begin on Friday at 9 a.m. ET with the javelin and hammer throws.
The Hokies are No. 12 on the men's side and the women are No. 20 in the preseason outdoor United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top 25 poll, released on Tuesday. Tech is the only school out of the ACC to have both of its teams ranked inside the Top 25.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | Weems Baskin Invitational | 9 a.m. ET | Live Results
Sat. | Weems Baskin Invitational | 9 a.m. ET | Live Results
To close the indoor season, the quartet of Vincent Ciattei, Greg Chiles, Patrick Joseph and Neil Gourley in the distance medley relay took home a national championship trophy back to Blacksburg, guiding the Tech men to its highest-ever finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing fourth.
The women's DMR placed third, Lisa Gunnarsson (pole vault) placed fourth and Rachel Pocratsky (800 meters) took sixth, helping the women to a 14th-place finish, their best finish at indoor NCAAs since 2010.
Outdoors were pretty memorable for the Hokies last year, as both the men and women won gold, marking the first time an ACC team had accomplished the feat since 2014.
The Hokies will be traveling their throws group for the first time in 2018, while the sprints/hurdles and jumps/multi-events groups will also make the trek down to the Palmetto State.