Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Coming into the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with the hopes of defending its title on both sides, the Virginia Tech track and field teams will make the trek south to Miami's campus for the three-day meet.
Action begins on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET with the decathlon at Cobb Stadium. This marks the second year that Miami will serve as the host school for the event and the first time since 2009.
All five disciplines will be heading to the Sunshine State, with Sarah Edwards (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Peter Seufer (10,000) looking to defend their titles.
Tech is the highest-rated team from the ACC on the women's side in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Top 25 Rankings, coming in at No. 21 and Miami is one spot behind at No. 22.
ACC Network Extra will again stream three hours of live action on the event's first night, followed by four hours of coverage on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Sean Kenney returns to handle play-by-play, while former U.S. Olympic standout Dan O'Brien will serve as analyst. The pair will be joined by distance race analyst David Mitchell and Melanie Newman as sideline reporter. Rick Willenzik will produce the broadcasts.
ACC Network Extra will bring live action Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Friday's live coverage will air from 5:30-9:30 p.m., followed by Saturday's finals from 5-9 p.m.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Thu. | ACCs | 11 a.m. ET | Live Results | Live Stream
Fri. | ACCs | 11 a.m. ET | Live Results | Live Stream
Sat. | ACCs | 12 p.m. ET | Live Results | Live Stream
The last time out, five event titles were collected at the Liberty Twilight, including four on the women's side. Kennedy Dennis ran the third-fastest time in school history in the 100-meter dash, recording a time of 11.56 to win it. Fellow freshman Caitlan Tate took second. Shanel Burr crossed the finish line in 13.76 in the 100-meter hurdles, marking her first event title of the outdoor season. Nora McKiver won the 400-meter hurdles, marking her first event title this year, too. Collin McKenny won the discus on the men's side.
The Hokies executed in Atlanta at ACCs in 2017, edging out Virginia by one point, scoring 120 on the men's side, while winning in comfortable fashion on the women's side with scoring 124.5 points compared to Florida State's 118.5.
Pole vaulter Lisa Gunnarsson owns the No. 1 mark in the country, clearing a school-record height of 4.60 meters (15 feet, 1 inch) at the Texas Relays to become the first Tech vaulter on the women's side to clear 15 feet.
Other national bests by the Hokies on the women's side are No. 7 Rachel Baxter in the pole vault, No. 11 Rachel Pocratsky in the 800 meters and No. 12 Emma Thor in the hammer.
The men own five marks and times nationally, too, with No. 6 Marek Barta in the discus, Nos. 8 Torben Laidig and Deakin Volz and No. 14 Joel Leon Benitez in the pole vault and No. 15 Greg Chiles in the 400-meter hurdles.
This weekend's meet will decide the fate of which school wins the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Virginia529. If the Hokies finish higher on the men's or women's side, they will capture it for the second straight year. Virginia would need to finish higher on both sides to take it back.
The meet is projected to finish around 9 p.m. with the 4x400-meter relays being the last event.