BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech track and field teams return to Rector Field House for the Virginia Tech Challenge, while several student-athletes head to the Distance Medley Relay Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Virginia Tech Challenge marks the fourth and final regular-season home meet for the Hokies this season. The two-day meet will begin at 5 p.m. ET on Friday and will commence again Saturday, with field events beginning at 11 a.m. Admission will be free for all fans and parking is available in the lots surrounding Rector Field House.
In the latest the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor National Rating Index released on Monday, Tech's women were ranked No. 24 in the country, marking its highest ranking this season.
Tech had several strong performances last week at the Iowa State Classic and the Tiger Paw Invitational.
On the men's side, junior Isaiah Rogers set a personal best for the third straight week with his mark of 20.61 meters (67 feet, 7 inches) in the weight throw. Diego Zarate finished fifth in the mile at Iowa State with his time of 4 minutes, 0.44 seconds, while Bashir Mosavel-Lo placed ninth with his time of 4:02.13, as the two of them moved to sixth and seventh all-time in the record book. Peter Seufer also ran the second-fastest 5,000 in school history with his time of 13:52.32 to finish 10th in the event.
On the women's side, Sara Freix shaved 20 seconds off her previous personal best in the 5,000 to break the school record held by Sarah Rapp (16:16.13) with her time of 16:07.09. Rachel Pocratsky earned the only event title of the weekend (800). Her time of 2:05.20 in the 800 is currently the seventh-fastest time in the country and the fastest in the ACC. Pocratsky was also named Co-ACC Women's Track Performer of the Week, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
The men's and women's distance medley relay teams will compete at the DMR Invitational in Winston Salem, North Carolina on Friday. The DMR will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
At the JDL Fast Track, admission will be free for spectators on Friday.
The Hokies will play host to Duke, NC State, VMI, North Carolina A&T, JMU, Lynchburg College, UNC Wilmington and Concord University.
