BLACKSBURG – Event wins by Arlicia Bush, Ellie Brush and Deakin Volz headlined the action on the second and final day of the Virginia Tech Challenge held Saturday at Rector Field House.
The meet served as the final regular-season indoor meet of the season for the Hokies, who now get set for the ACC Championships held later next week at Rector.
Bush, a junior from Princeton, Kentucky, won the women's 400-meter dash in a time of 54.06 seconds, edging teammate Nykah Smith, who came in second with a time of 54.48. Bush's time was the fifth-fastest in school history, while Smith's time tied Aunye Boone (2011) for the eighth-fastest program mark.
Brush won her first collegiate race, taking first place in the women's 1,000. The sophomore from Mason, Ohio finished the race in a time of 2 minutes, 53.55 seconds, beating Elon's Paige King by more than three seconds.
Volz, a senior from Bloomington, Indiana, won the men's pole vault with a top vault of 5.50 meters (18 feet, 0.5 inch). Chase Brannon and Chris Pillow finished second and third, respectively, sharing the mark of 5.35 meters (17 feet, 6.5 inches).
In other action Saturday:
(2/16/2019) 2019 TRACK & FIELD VT CHALLENGE DAY TWO
DISTANCE
Dave Whitfield finished second in the men's 1,000 with a time of 2:27.43. Brian Baker, who ran unattached, won the event, just edging Whitfield with a time of 2:27.19. Clint Gault, also running attached, came in third (2:31.89).
In the women's 3,000, Tech's Emily Schiesl finished second with a time of 10:11.49, while teammate Ella Breidenstine was right behind her with a time of 10:16.93.
In the women's 1,000, Olivia Duston ran unattached in the event and came in sixth with a time of 3:06.56.
SPRINTS
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Miles Green, Jacory Patterson, Eldon Phillips and Michael Davenport came in second with a time of 3:11.28 – a time that was the fourth-fastest in program history. North Carolina A&T's quartet won the event with a time of 3:07.33.
In the men's 400, Hans Gallagher came in second in a time of 50.14 seconds. VMI's Johnnie Walker won the event with a time of 49.82 seconds.
THROWS
Tyson Jones finished second in the men's shot put with a top toss of 17.19 meters (56 feet, 4.75 inches).
POLE VAULT
Rachel Baxter finished fourth with a top vault of 4.20 meters (13 feet, 9.25 inches). Alina McDonald, competing unattached, won the event with a top vault of 4.40 meters (14 feet, 5.25 inches).
Harrison Rice competed on the men's side, and the freshman finished eighth with a top vault of 4.75 meters (15 feet, 7 inches).
JUMPS
Cecelia Marenick finished second in the women's triple jump with a top jump of 11.73 meters (38 feet, 6 inches). VCU's Aliyah Newman won the event with a top jump of 12.42 meters (40 feet, 9 inches).
UP NEXT
Both Tech track and field teams will be making the final preparations for the biggest meet of the season – the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held this weekend at Rector Field House. The action starts Thursday morning with the first four events of the heptathlon and the first five events of the pentathlon. The finals of the distance medley relay events will be held that evening starting at 6.
PERSONAL BESTS
Women's 400
Arlicia Bush (54.06)
Nykah Smith (54.48)
Women's 1,000
Ellie Brush (2:53.55)
Olivia Duston (3:06.56)
Men's 1,000
Brian Baker (2:27.19)
Dave Whitfield (2:27.43)
Clint Gault (2:31.89)
Women's 3,000
Emily Schiesl (10:11.49)
Ella Breidenstine (10:16.93)
Women's triple jump
Cecelia Marenick (11.73 meters; 38 feet, 6 inches)
Men's pole vault
Harrison Rice (4.75 meters; 15 feet, 7 inches)
DAY ONE
The Virginia Tech track and field teams had three first-place finishes, multiple personal bests and added several new names into the school record book on day one of the Virginia Tech Challenge and JDL DMR Invitational.
The women's distance medley relay team of Sarah Edwards, Arlicia Bush, Shannon Quinn and Rachel Pocratsky finished with a time of 11 minutes, 7.08 seconds to place second overall at the JDL DMR Invitational. Their time in the DMR is the third-fastest time in Tech history, sixth-fastest time in the country, and the fastest time in the ACC.
The men's DMR team of Antonio Lopez Segura, Miles Green, Bashir Mosavel-Lo and Peter Seufer ran 9:37.98 to tie for the 10th-fastest time in school history. At the moment, they hold the No. 8 time in the country and the fastest time in the ACC.
Emma Thor moved to sixth all time in Tech's record book, as she threw a personal-best 18.85 meters (61 feet, 10.25 inches) in the weight throw to finish second in the event.
Kennedy Dennis ran 7.40 in the preliminaries of the 60 meters and turned in a time of 7.38 in the finals to earn a second-place finish.
"Kennedy ran a good technical race," Tech sprints coach Tim Vaught said. "She knows what she did at the end of the race, and I think she'll get better and be ready to go next weekend."
(2/15/2019) 2019 TRACK & FIELD VT CHALLENGE DAY ONE
SPRINTS
Kanajzae Brown finished third in the 60, set a new personal best and ran the 10th-fastest time in school history with her time of 7.54. She also set PR in 200 with her time of 24.46.
"Kanajzae, she's been coming around," Vaught said. "She's a hard worker, and today, it just showed. There's been a learning curve for her since it's her first year here, and she's a transfer. She's learning a lot of new things. I told her today not think and have fun with it, and she came out and set two personal bests."
DISTANCE
The men's DMR team of Jack Joyce, Hans Gallagher, Dave Whitfield and Ben Fleming earned a first-place finish with their time of 9:54.31, while the women's team of Lauren Berman, Catherine Stone, Ellie Brush and Sara Freix also placed first in the DMR with their time of 11:34.59.
Owen Buck won his first event title of the season as he finished the 800 with a time of 1:52.06. Eldon Phillips finished fourth with his time of 1:56.20.
Fitsum Seyoum ran 4:12.80 in the mile to finish second overall, while Osman Humeida placed fifth with his time of 4:23.09.
THROWS
Kajsa Wennberg set new personal best and finished sixth in the weight throw with her mark of 16.75 meters (54 feet, 11.5 inches).
UP NEXT
Both teams return to action Saturday for the final day of the Virginia Tech Challenge. Action starts with the women's high jump at 11 a.m.
PERSONAL BESTS
Women's 60 Meters
Kanajzae Brown (7.54)
Kayla Copeland (7.71)
Men's 60 Meters
Noah Ramsey (6.98)
Women's 200 Meters
Kanajzae Brown (24.46)