CLEMSON, S.C. – On the final day of competition, the Hokies' men's squad posted 88 points, won five events, earned four silver medals, three bronze medals, and dominated the field to become the 2021 ACC Indoor Track and Field Champions by 55 points.
With the largest margin of victory in the modern era of the ACC, Virginia Tech added another championship to an already extensive trophy cabinet. The men's team now holds six ACC indoor titles, and the program earned its 17th with the men's victory on Saturday.
Tech racked up 136 points on the weekend, with second-place (North Carolina) turning in 81.
"This championship was a total team effort by our men," Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "We had contributors from almost every event. The athletes were prepared and focused to come here and win this title. We had so many great efforts and personal bests it's difficult to list all of them. It's rare to have a team blessed with talent that is also laser focused on achieving a goal."
Aside from the Hokies who medaled, profiled below, multiple athletes registered championship-worthy performances, earning Virginia Tech huge points and ultimately the conference title. In the mile, Fitsum Seyoum, Ethan Mills, and Tyler Leeser all delivered lifetime bests to score for the Hokies. Patrick Forrest set career bests in both the prelims and finals of the 400m to add to his exceptional weekend. Thierry Siewe Yanga's personal record 1:50.36 in the 800m and Cole Beck's 6.74 in the 60m both contributed fifth place points for the Hokies.
"I'm so proud of this team, through all the ups and downs this semester of dealing with COVID-19 protocols, these athletes still pushed through to have an outstanding indoor season," Associate Head Coach Tim Vaught said.
While the Hokies enjoyed historic individual successes, the collective team performance was dominant and serves as a testament to the track and field squad's incredible depth of talent.
The Medalists:
Gold
Jacory Patterson, 200m, 400m – One of the most thrilling athletes to compete for Virginia Tech, Patterson continued his storied career at the 2021 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Repeating as both the 200m and 400m champion, the junior from South Carolina shows no signs of slowing down. In the 200m, Patterson broke his own school record in the preliminaries with a time of 20.66 before surpassing it again on Saturday with a gold-medal-winning 20.62. Becoming the ACC champion in the 400m for the third consecutive year, all the rest of the field could do was watch Patterson's spikes kick in front as he extended his lead. With a 45.38 in the finals, Patterson earned the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships Men's Track MVP award.
Bashir Mosavel-Lo, 800m – In one of the most exciting races of the meet, the Richmond, Va. native grinded out the win by stretching for the line at the finish to hold off the pack and become the ACC champion in the event. Posting a time of 1:48.34, a lifetime best, Mosavel-Lo added a gold medal to his collection as one of the best distance runners in Hokies' history.
Antonio Lopez Segura, 5000m – Lopez Segura excelled the entire race, never breaking stride and biding his time until he blew through the pack and never looked back until the gold medal was in his hands. With his winning time of 13:49.86, the Spaniard broke the Clemson Indoor Track facility record, the ACC Indoor Championships record, and moved into third in Virginia Tech history.
Tyler Leeser, Patrick Forrest, Dave Whitfield, and Ben Nibbelink, distance medley relay – Showcasing the depth and talent of the distance crew, the men's DMR breezed past the rest of the conference to win the gold medal with a time of 9:41.87. Leeser opened up a big lead for the Hokies before Patrick Forrest dominated the 400m leg, followed by a steady and fast 800m from Whitfield, before Ben Nibbelink sealed the deal and cruised to a gold medal for Tech.
Silver
Chauncey Chambers, triple jump – Chambers earned the first medal for the Hokies on Saturday, placing second in the triple jump with a career best mark of 52' 2.75" (15.92m), earning first team All-ACC honors and moving into third all-time in Tech's record book. Earning the silver medal on his final jump, Chambers had already broken his PR the jump before, but pushed it even farther and cemented himself in Hokies' history by doing so.
Tyson Jones shot put – Competing in one of the best shot put events the ACC has seen, Jones was right at the top. Earning fifth at last year's ACC Indoors, the junior's silver medal performance of 61' 6.25" (18.75m) was a sign of his effort and incredible talent.
Ben Nibbelink, 3000m – The junior from Leesburg, Va. battled against a strong field of 34 entrants, producing a lifetime best time of 7:56.88 to earn the silver medal and first team All-ACC honors. Already holding the fifth best time in Virginia Tech history, Nibbelink improved his time from earlier this season by 0.91 seconds to add a silver medal to his gold from the men's DMR.
Harrison Rice – Continuing to stake his claim as one of the best vaulters in the conference, Rice improved his third-place finish from last year's ACC Indoor Championships with a silver medal. Narrowly missing out on the conference title, Rice cleared the championship height of 16' 9.5" (5.12m) and earned first team All-ACC honors.
Bronze
Sean Murphy, heptathlon – With an exceptional weekend featuring five personal bests across the heptathlon's seven events, Sean Murphy smashed the all-time Tech mark in the event with a total of 5,350 points, earning the bronze medal. Following an injury and subsequent surgery last season, Murphy's performance this season and in the ACC Indoors was a massive success.
Aidan Clark, high jump – With a freshman season as impressive as his, Clark's bronze medal should be no surprise to anyone. Clark cleared 7' 0.25" (2.14m) earlier this season at the VT Challenge, becoming just the third Hokie to ever clear seven feet in the high jump. At the conference meet, Clark's progress this year delivered him a bronze medal as he jumped 6' 11.75" (2.13m).
Ben Fleming, mile – Blacksburg native Ben Fleming brought some silverware back to his hometown with a time of 4:00.01 in the mile, earning the bronze medal and first team All-ACC. Fleming was one of the four Hokies to break the four-minute mark earlier this year, and his efforts were rewarded with success in the conference meet.
Looking Back:
This season, with its uncertainties and complications throughout, makes the taste of victory for the Hokies even sweeter. COVID-19 or not, Virginia Tech's men's indoor track and field squad is the best in the ACC in 2021.Gallery: (2-27-2021) 2021 ACC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD DAY 3
