BLACKSBURG – After three days of fierce competition, the Virginia Tech men's track and field team ended day three of the ACC Indoor Championships as ACC co-champions, sharing the title with Florida State.
The men finished tied with Florida State, as both teams scored 117 points, while the Tech women came in third with 84 points, which was one point behind Florida State and seven points behind first-place Miami.
The title marked the 14th overall for Virginia Tech track and field and cross country programs since the school joined the ACC for the 2004-05 season. The men's team has won nine of those, including five indoor titles, and the men's program now has won an ACC title in seven of the past nine years.
"We were close last year at Clemson. It was four points on the men's side, and that really hurt, especially because we had all those senior distance guys," Tech Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "But to be able to come back this year with such a young team and be able to win the championship with so many new faces and freshmen … to me, that's probably the most impressive thing. So I'm not disappointed at all. Would I have liked to have won it outright? Sure, but this is better than finishing second by a point. We still got a trophy, and I'll take that any day."
The men were led by Deakin Volz, Peter Seufer, Jacory Patterson and ACC field MVP Isaiah Rogers.
Volz won the pole vault for the second straight year with his clearance of 5.45 meters (17 feet, 10.5 inches). The victory marked the 12th time that a Hokie has won the individual pole vault title since joining the ACC. Joel Leon Benitez finished second after vaulting 5.15 meters (16 feet, 10.75 inches). Freshman Harrison Rice finished fifth with a mark of 4.95 meters (16 feet, 2.75 inches).
The distance group, led by Seufer, dominated the field Saturday. Seufer held off Syracuse's Iliass Aouani to finish first in the 3,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 7 minutes, 59.60 seconds. He became the first Hokie since Thomas Curtin (2015) to win the event. To round out the group, Diego Zarate finished second in the mile with his time of 4:03.54, while Bashir Mosavel-Lo placed fourth in the 800 with a time of 1:48.74.
"When the meet is in the line, there's nobody that you would want more than Peter Seufer," Tech distance coach Eric Johannigmeier said. "He ran a great championship race. For him to run that time, with how hot it was, was incredible.
"Zarate competed really tough, ran great and got us eight team points. He stayed incredibly positive and focused all week, which was huge for the men's team in general."
Patterson headlined the sprints group, along with freshman Miles Green. Patterson broke his own school record (46.14) by a tenth of a second to earn gold in the 400-meter dash with a time of 46.04. With his event title, Patterson become the first Hokie ever to win the 400 during the indoor season. Green set a personal-best in the 400 for the second day in a row with his time of 47.38 and came in fourth.
"Jacory, I've been saying it from day one, he's a special one," Tech sprints coach Tim Vaught said. "I think that the sky is the limit for him. What he ran today is going to get him into nationals, and I'm excited to get him focused for the national meet.
"Miles was the 16th seed coming into the meet, and to go from 16th to eighth and then from eighth to fourth, he's just a gamer."
A day after winning silver in the weight throw, Rogers threw a personal-best 18.19 meters (59 feet, 8.25) in the shot put to finish second. With his 16 points in the meet, the Smyrna, Georgia native was named ACC Men's Field MVP. Freshman Tyson Jones also grabbed some points on the men's side, as he finished fifth with mark of 17.69 meters (58 feet, 0.5).
"I think Isaiah competed outstanding today," Tech throws coach Andrew Dubs said. "His goal was to throw 18 meters, and he was ready and it showed. He had two PRs today. I'm just really happy for him because he worked his butt off.
"I also want to give hats off to Tyson Jones as well. He battled an injury early in the season, and he battled through that to finish in the top five as a true freshman. That was really impressive."
Chauncey Chambers was the lone member of the men's jumps group, but the Springfield, Virginia native finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 15.32 meters (50 feet, 3.25) to give the Hokies needed points in the event.
"Chauncey came through for us today," Tech jumps coach Paul Zalewski said. "As a freshman at his first ACC championship, he did everything he needed to do for the team. His fifth round jump got him just centimeter ahead of one of the Florida State guys, and we absolutely needed that one point. I'm really proud of him."
The 4x400 team of Green, Mosavel-Lo, Eldon Philips and Patterson ran the eighth-fastest time Tech history in the final event of the day to help the Hokies clinch a share of the ACC Indoor Championships.
(2/23/2019) 2019 ACC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD DAY THREE
On the women's side, Sarah Edwards became the first Hokie to win the mile, as she crossed the finish line with a time of 4:41.56. Rachel Pocratsky also dominated, as she won the 800 for the second straight year and tied the facility record held by Hanna Green (Virginia Tech) with a time of 2:03.43. Shannon Quinn and Catherine Stone also had great performances. Quinn set a personal best and won a bronze medal in the 800 with a time of 2:06.48, while Stone placed sixth in the 800 with her new personal best of 2:08.72.
"Sarah Edwards is the first ACC mile winner in program history, and the way she ran, she stayed composed and showed why she has the kick that she does and why she's such a savvy racer," Johannigmeier said. "The women's 800 was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen. For Rachel to win and tie the facility record that Hanna Green set when she won her ACC title here was really special. For Shannon Quinn to have a huge PR [personal record] and finish on the podium was also incredible. Cate Stone, who tore her labrum last year, had surgery and hadn't run in a year. For her to place sixth and be second-team All-ACC … those girls just competed and ran a perfect race."
For the sprints group, Kennedy Dennis had an outstanding day, as she placed fifth in the 60-meter dash with her time 7.33 and fifth in the 200 with a personal-best 23.71. Arlicia Bush set a new personal best with her time of 53.92 in the 400 to earn a fifth-place finish.
"Kennedy had an outstanding meet compared to last year," Vaught said. "For her to qualify for the finals in the 60 with her personal-best time of 7.29, and then for her to run a personal best in the 200 finals … she's just putting it together. She's a gamer, and I would go to battle with her any day.
"For Arlicia to run 53.92 indoors, that was just icing in the cake."
Eszter Bajnok placed third in the triple jump with her mark of 12.95 meters (42 feet, 6).
"Eszter set down the gauntlet on her first jump today in the triple and set the tone for the competition," Zalewski said. "Getting a bronze medal at this meet is no small feat. I know this will make her hungrier for outdoors."
The women's 4x400 team of Nykah Smith, Dennis, Imagine Patterson and Bush ran 3:38.12 in the event to finish second overall.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Tech-UVA track and field competition annually is part of the Commonwealth Clash, a points-based competition between the two schools in which the schools fight for a point among the sports in which they compete. The Commonwealth Clash is presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. The score for the Commonwealth Clash is now 7-3 in favor of Virginia Tech. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
UP NEXT
Select members of both teams now gear up for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held March 8-9 in Birmingham, Alabama.
PERSONAL BESTS
Men's 400
Jacory Patterson (46.04)
Miles Green (47.38)
Women's 400
Arlicia Bush (53.92)
Women's 800
Shannon Quinn (2:06.58)
Cate Stone (2:08.72)
Men's 800
Bashir Mosavel-Lo (1:48.74)
Women's 200
Kennedy Dennis (23.71)
Men's 3,000
Peter Seufer (7:59.60)
Dave Whitfield (8:49.33)
Men's Shot Put
Tyson Jones (17.69 meters; 58 feet, 0.5 inch)
Isaiah Rogers (18.19 meters; 59 feet, 8.25 inch)
Men's Pole Vault
Harrison Rice (4.95 meters; 16 feet, 2.75 inches)
(Day Two)
BLACKSBURG – Rachel Baxter headlined the Virginia Tech track and field teams' performances at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, as she won the gold medal in the women's pole vault Friday on the second day of action.
A year after placing second in the pole vault at the ACC Indoor Championships, the sophomore from Orange, California won the event with a personal-best vault of 4.47 meters (14 feet, 8 inches). That mark broke the school record held by former vaulter Lisa Gunnarsson (4.46 meters).
"Rachel did an amazing job today," Tech pole vault coach Bob Phillips said. "She had attempted the school record several times already and come close, and it was great to see her get it today. Even though the results didn't show it, she had her best technical jumps ever last weekend, and all we had to do this week was put the same jump on a bigger pole. The other thing that was really impressive today was that she first attempted every bar. That really shows outstanding focus on her part."
Baxter paced the women's side, along with junior Sara Freix and junior Eszter Bajnok. Freix finished third in the 5,000 with a time of 16 minutes, 11.48 seconds to earn six points for the women's team. Bajnok leaped 6.04 meters (19 feet, 9.75) to place eighth in the event to add one point to the team's total.
With the combination of those three, the Tech women's team ended the day in third place with 27 points. Louisville leads all teams with 50 points, followed by Duke at 40.
(2/22/2019) 2019 ACC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD DAY TWO
On the men's side, four Hokies earned points for the men's team, led by Peter Seufer's second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run with his time of 14:04.65.
Isaiah Rogers also placed second in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 20.74 meters (68 feet, 0.5). This marked the sixth straight week that Rogers set a personal-best in the weight throw.
The other two scorers were Jaelyn Demory and Matthew Manilli, both of whom scored in the heptathlon. Demory came in second with a personal-best score of 5,086 points, scoring the third-most points in program history. He had a great second day, finishing first in the 60-meter hurdles, third in the pole vault and fourth in the 1,000. Manilli finished fourth overall in the heptathlon with 4,899 points.
"I cannot tell you how proud I am of Jaelyn and Matt," Tech jumps and multi-events coach Paul Zalewski said. "They came in far from 100 percent, but just kept battling and battling for two days. Matt has been held up all season with a hamstring problems, and Jaelyn had to vault with a broken hand. Despite all that, they came out and took care of business and grabbed some huge points for us. Amazing job by both of them."
The men end day two leading the pack with 37 points. Virginia is in second with 31 points, followed by NC State with 30.
In other action Friday:
Women's Mile
Sarah Edwards qualified for the finals in the mile run, winning her heat with a time of 4:41.50. Her time was the third-best among all qualifiers for Saturday's finals.
Men's Mile
Diego Zarate qualified for the finals in the mile, winning his heat with a time of 4:06.98, which was the third-fastest among qualifiers.
Women's 400
Arlicia Bush qualified for the 400-meter finals by winning her heat with a time of 54.24. Her time was the seventh-fastest among qualifiers.
Men's 400
Jacory Patterson and Miles Green both qualified for the Saturday's finals in the 400. Patterson won his heat and finished first overall with his time of 46.30 seconds, while Green was second in his heat, placing eighth with a new personal-best time of 47.96.
Women's 60
Kennedy Dennis tied her personal-best time of 7.29 to finish second in her heat and fourth over to qualify for Saturday's final.
Women's 800
In the women's 800, the trio of Rachel Pocratsky, Shannon Quinn and Cate Stone all qualified for the finals. Pocratsky came in with the top time in the ACC and finished first in her heat and first overall with her time of 2:06.66. Quinn placed fifth overall with her time of 2:08.81, while Stone finished sixth with a time of 2:09.34.
Men's 800
Bashir Mosavel-Lo finished first in his heat and fourth overall with a time of 1:51.29 to qualify for the 800 finals.
Women's 200
Dennis qualified for the finals in the 200-meter dash, winning her heat with a time of 23.84. Her time was fourth among qualifiers.
UP NEXT
The Hokies return to Rector Field House for the final day of the ACC Indoor Championships on Saturday. Action starts at noon with the women's shot put. The ACC Network Extra will live stream the day, starting at 1 p.m. with the mile and concluding with the 4x400-meter relay.
PERSONAL BESTS
Men's 60 hurdles
Jaelyn Demory (6.35)
Heptathlon
Jaelyn Demory (5,086 points)
Men's Weight Throw
Isaiah Rogers (20.74 meters; 68 feet, 0.5 inches)
Women's Mile
Lauren Berman (4:46.41)
Men's 5,000
Fitsum Seyoum (14:21.52)
Women's 400
Nykah Smith (54.39)
Men's 400
Miles Green (47.96)
Eldon Phillips (49.43)
Men's 60
Cole Beck (6.73)
Women's 800
Ellie Brush (2:11.10)
Men's 300
Cole Beck (21.36)
Women's 200
Kayla Copeland (25.14)
Women's Pole Vault
Rachel Baxter (4.47 meters; 14 feet, 8 inches)
Men's long Jump
Donovan Louis (7.13 meters; 23 feet, 4.75 inches)
Women's Weight Throw
Kajsa Wennberg (17.09 meters; 56 feet, 1 inch)
(Day One)
BLACKSBURG – A distance medley relay title and numerous personal bests in the heptathlon highlighted day one of the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the Virginia Tech track and field teams at the meet held at Rector Field House.
The women's DMR team of Sarah Edwards, Arlicia Bush, Shannon Quinn and Rachel Pocratsky ended the night with a bang, as they finished in 11 minutes, 8.02 seconds for the fourth-fastest time in school history, giving Tech the ACC indoor DMR title for the second straight season.
It marked the first time that a school has won back-to-back women's ACC DMR titles since Florida State did so in 2012-13, and it makes the Hokies only the fourth team to so since 1994.
"I feel like Edwards, Quinn, Pocratsky and Bush, they've all been on this DMR team before and have won before," Tech distance coach Eric Johannigmeier said. "They all ran extremely composed, mature, and you could tell that they really wanted it. They gave it their all, and they came away with the victory to help us earn 10 big points. It was a great way to start day one for the team."
On the men's side, the DMR team of Jack Joyce, Michael Davenport, Owen Buck and Bashir Mosavel-Lo finished with a time of time of 9:45.03 to place second in the event. The Hokies led for three legs, but were unable to hold off a Notre Dame team that earlier this season ran the second-fastest DMR time in college history (9:26.10).
"That was the first time in the DMR, I believe, for all of those guys," Johannigmeier said. "For them to finish second in an ACC meet that has such quality competition is impressive and is a good start for the team, along with what the guys in the multi-events did, which was huge. We've got good momentum heading into tomorrow, which is great."
(2/21/2019) 2019 ACC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD DAY ONE
The heptathlon started the day, as Jaelyn Demory led a trio of Hokies with a first-place finish in the 60-meter dash, running a personal-best time of 6.95 seconds. Matthew Manilli finished right behind him with his new personal-best time of 7.04, and John Manilli finished sixth with a time of 7.30.
Tech's showing in the long jump in the heptathlon was led by Matthew Manilli, who finished first in the event with his leap of 6.96 meters (22 feet, 10 inches), while Demory came in second with his mark of 6.79 meters (22 feet, 3.5 inches). John Manilli placed 10th with a personal-best mark of 6.30 meters (20 feet, 8 inches).
Demory lead the way in the shot put with his mark of 10.63 meters (34 feet, 10.5 inches) to finish seventh in the event. Matthew Manilli finished ninth with his throw of 10.12 meters (33 feet, 2.5 inches), while John Manilli finished 10th with a mark of 8.84 meters (29 feet, 0 inches).
Matthew Manilli closed out the day with a mark of 1.87 meters (6 feet, 1.5 inches) in the high jump to place fourth. John Manilli's mark of 1.81 meters (5 feet, 11.25 inches) earned him a sixth-place finish, while Demory set a personal best of 1.78 meters (5 feet, 10 inches) to finish eighth.
"I am really pleased with the way the guys have all competed," jumps/multi-events coach Paul Zalewski said. "Matt and Jaelyn have had a great first day and have put themselves in a position to be right in it tomorrow. The guys are hitting personal and season bests, and I'm excited for where we stand going into the second day. Big day for those guys."
UP NEXT
The Hokies return to action Friday for day two of the ACC Indoor Championships at Rector Field House, starting at 10 a.m., with the heptathlon's 60-meter hurdles. The ACC Network Extra will live stream the day, starting at 4 p.m. with preliminary round of the 400-meter dash and concluding with the 5,000 meters finals.
PERSONAL BESTS
Men's 60
Jaelyn Demory (6.95)
Matthew Manilli (7.04)
John Manilli (7.30)
Men's Long Jump
John Manilli (6.30 meters; 20 feet, 8 inches)
Men's Shot Put
Matt Manilli (10.12 meters; 33 feet, 2.5 inches)
John Manilli (8.84 meters; 29 feet, 0 inches)
Men's High Jump
John Manilli (1.81 meters; 5 feet, 11.25 inches)
Jaelyn Demory (1.78 meters; 5 feet, 10 inches)