CLEMSON, S.C. – Saturday – Following a stellar first day of action in the Tiger Paw Invitational, the Hokies again showed that they are rounding into form with the ACC Championships on the horizon. The distance and sprint squads excelled in a day of new records, personal bests, and signs of good things to come.
"It was a fantastic weekend for our team," Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "In the first real road trip of the season, we had some national class performances. The men's 3000m with Antonio Lopez Segura, Ben Nibbelink and Ben Fleming all running under 8:00 minutes was a great effort. Caitlan Tate is really rounding into form with a sub-53 second open 400m and a great lead off leg on the 4x400m. Matt Mitchell going sub 8 seconds in the 60m hurdles and Cole Beck's 200 meters were the best they have ever looked. The team is ready for the ACC meet in two weeks. Just have to stay focused and healthy and I am looking forward to a great meet at the end of the month."
While Jacory Patterson's ACC record 400m performance on Friday was difficult to surpass, the Hokies certainly did their best. Setting a new school record in the men's 4x400m relay were Patrick Forrest, Miles Green, Tyreke Sapp, and Jacory Patterson, who finished the race with a time of 3:07.64. The women's relay was equally impressive, posting the second-best time in the ACC this season and the sixth best in Tech history at 3:38.54.
The distance runners also impressed on Saturday, with the 3000m group all moving into the top four in the ACC this season. Bashir Mosavel-Lo followed a sub-four-minute mile last weekend by winning the 800m at Clemson, posting the second fastest time in the conference with a 1:49.21.
Next weekend will see the Hokies return to Rector Field House for the Virginia Tech Challenge, the final meet before the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 25.
CLEMSON, S.C. – Measuring themselves against some of the top talents in the nation, the Hokies delivered strong performances and staked their claim as some of the best athletes around in the first day of the Tiger Paw Invite.
Jacory Patterson raised the bar even higher in the 400m, stamping an emphatic 45.24 in the event. His time marks a personal best, improving his own school record, and the top time in the ACC this year. Additionally, Patterson's time is the fastest in ACC history, the second-fastest time in the nation this year and tied for the third-fastest time in the world.
"What another great weekend," Associate Head Coach Tim Vaught said. "Jacory Patterson and Caitlan Tate were the highlights of the day. I take my hat off to Jacory running a new school and ACC record in the 400m dash, it was amazing to watch. He just keeps getting better each weekend. Caitlan Tate ran her season best of 52.95 to capture victory. She ran a much better technical race this weekend, and I was very pleased with her performance."
In the distance events, Lindsey Butler set a lifetime best in the women's mile, winning the event with a 4:40.35. Butler's win marks the fourth consecutive meet that she has competed in a different event and won. Following right behind Butler was Hannah Ballowe, whose second-place time of 4:46.05 was also a career best.
Day two of the Tiger Paw Invitational begins tomorrow with field events starting at 11 a.m., and track events resuming at noon. Men's pole vault action starts tomorrow at Liberty with Jacob Rice and Harrison Rice set to start at 2:30 p.m.
