COLUMBIA, S.C. – Fourteen top-eight finishes highlighted Virginia Tech track and field on the final day of the Weems Baskin Invitational on the campus of South Carolina at Cregger Track on Saturday.
"A few solid performances, but overall this first meet shows us how much work that needs to be done to be prepared for the ACC meet in May," director of track and field and cross country Dave Cianelli said.
To begin the day, the 4x100-meter relays got to showcase its speed, placing second on the women's side with a time of 45.54 seconds and sixth on the men's side in 41.61. The women's relay was made up of Kennedy Dennis, Courtney Blanden, Ama-Selina Tchume and Caitlan Tate and the men's relay consisted of Keishaun Limehouse, Michael Davenport, Greg Chiles and Lawrence Harris.
Senior Shanel Burr and Limehouse, a sophomore, qualified in the short hurdles. Burr clocked her best time in the preliminary of the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.92, finishing in third place among collegiate competitors. Limehouse's best time in the 110 hurdles also came in the prelim, running a time of 14.33. The South Carolina native placed fifth among college athletes in the finals.
The 400 meters saw two Hokies on both sides place in the top eight, as Blanden (54.72) and Arlicia Bush (55.68) placed fourth and seventh and Chiles (48.24) and Brandon Thomas(48.43) took fifth and seventh among college athletes.
Blanden led the charge in the 200, finishing second with a time of 23.67, followed by Caitlan Tate (23.80) in third place, Ama-Selina Tchume (24.11) in sixth and Kennedy Dennis (24.19) in eighth.
"I think the younger group did fairly well, with Kennedy and Caitlan," sprints/hurdles coach Tim Vaught said. "They both had PRs for the outdoor season in the 200. Courtney had a season best for an outdoor opener in the 400, so that was good to see. Selina opened up with a best in an opener as well in the 200.
"The women had a solid 200 today and the men were overall subpar. Keishaun made the finals in the 110-meter hurdles and Law ran a decent 100."
Competing in the maroon and orange for the first time in her career, redshirt senior Lindsay Herra turned in a third-place finish in the discus with a mark of 46.83 meters (153 feet, 7 inches). Collin McKenny placed sixth in the discus, throwing a mark of 46.54 meters (152 feet, 8 inches).
"Overall, solid opener for both Lindsay and Collin," throws coach Andrew Dubs shared. "I know Lindsay has big goals for herself this season, as do I. We were hoping to open a little further, but she was not far off at all. She couldn't quite find a rhythm until the late rounds, so that made it a little tough to really get going. Her training is going well and indicates we are on track for some big throws later in the season.
"Collin was extremely consistent today, which is a great sign for the rest of the season. He just couldn't quite put together a big one. His consistency shows that he is knocking on the door and will be ready soon once we begin to lighten up on training as the season progresses."
The Hokies will split up next weekend, heading to three meets – Raleigh Relays, Florida Relays and Texas Relays.
OUTDOOR COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BEST
200
Caitlan Tate, 23.80
Kennedy Dennis, 24.19