CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – SATURDAY – School records continued to fall on the second day of the Virginia Challenge, as the Hokies begin to round into postseason form.
"I was very happy with the performances and efforts this week," Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "After missing last week, the team can back with many personal bests and two school records. Sean in the Decathlon and Tyson in the shot had tremendous results. The middle distance crew and sprints also looked good. I believe we are where we need to be with four weeks to go until the ACC championships."
Late in the afternoon, Sean Murphy wrapped up his performance in the decathlon with a 4:49.30 1500m run, giving him a school-record 7,112 points across the weekend. His total breaks the standard set by Jaelyn Demory at the 2019 ACC Outdoor Championships.
"Sean did a tremendous job this weekend," Assistant Coach Paul Zalewski said. "This was his first decathlon in two years, so to start out with a 7100-point score and a school record is really impressive. He had five individual PR's, and with a few more tweaks he's really going to shine at the ACC meet in May."
Just a few minutes after Murphy's record-breaking performance, Tyson Jones heaved a school record in the shot put, going 63' 0.25" (19.21m) to take the top spot on Tech's all-time list. His throw breaks the 16-year-old record set by Sven Hahn in 2005. Jones became just the third Hokie to reach 19 meters outdoors and now holds the best throw in the ACC this season.
"Overall, it was a very good weekend for the throwers," Associate Head Coach Andrew Dubs said. "They each stepped up and competed very well. Lots of highlights this weekend, but the top-performance goes to Tyson Jones. Tyson is a grinder. He comes every day, keeps an open mind, and just flat out works his butt off. That showed today when he set multiple PRs including breaking our school record which had stood since 2005. I am just very proud of everything that Tyson stands for and am very happy to see him accomplish this."
Aside from Jones and Murphy, several other Hokies recorded standout performances in Saturday's events.
Eszter Bajnok opened her outdoor season with a win in the triple jump, leaping 43' 11.75" (13.39m) for the top spot in the ACC and the seventh in the nation.
"I thought Eszter opened up extremely well this weekend," Coach Zalewski said. "Her training has been going well and that showed today. I thought she did a great job making adjustments through the meet, and she stayed competitive the whole way. Any time someone had a good jump, she responded and kept her lead from start to finish."
Matt Mitchell also kicked off his outdoor season in Charlottesville, debuting in the 110m high hurdles with a time of 14.35 seconds to earn second place in the event.
The men's 4x100m relay team of Michael Bell, Jacory Patterson, Cameron Rose, and Cole Beck dominated from start to finish in the event and crossed the line at 40.04 seconds for a new season best.
Essence Henderson took part in two events on Saturday, competing in the discus and the shot put back-to-back. Henderson launched a 173' 4" (52.83m) throw in the discus to take second place before earning an outdoor PR in the shot with a throw of 54' 0.5" (16.47m).
In the men's 200m dash, Hokies took three of the top four spots. Jacory Patterson posted a 21.00 for second, Cameron Rose followed with 21.03 for third, and Cole Beck took fourth with a 21.25.
Five Hokies set PRs in the women's 800m:
3. Lindsey Butler – 2:04.59
5. Sarah Edwards – 2:06.01
8. Lauren Berman – 2:06.54
21. Grace Boone – 2:08.54
24. Hannah Ballowe – 2:09.55
Most of the track and field squad will take a weekend off before returning to Charlottesville for the Virginia Grand Prix. With the 2021 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships just under a month away, the Hokies are rounding into form quickly.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On a busy Friday at UVa's Virginia Challenge, the Hokies posted several top performances and career bests.
Sara Killinen kicked things off for Tech with a win in the women's hammer throw, going 211' 9' (64.54m) to top all other collegiate athletes. Killinen's mark places her at second in the ACC this season, earned her a new lifetime best, and became the fourth best throw in Hokies' history.
"Overall it was a really good day for the throws group," Associate Head Coach Andrew Dubs said. "Lots of PR's and some really competitive efforts. We did not have a great meet last time out a couple of weeks ago, so to see them respond today was a credit to each of them individually. Everyone took a step forward today in one way or another. I am looking forward to day two."
In the women's 100m dash, Kennedy Dennis finished in second place with a time of 11.638 seconds, just one thousandth of a second off the win.
Making her debut in the 400m, Lindsey Butler delivered a 54.90 second performance to earn fourth place in the event.
The men's discus competition saw two Hokies earn personal bests. Tyson Jones beat his lifetime best with a heave of 167' 2" (50.97m), and Carrington Kirby followed suit with a mark of 164' 5" (50.13m).
Experienced sprinter Cole Beck claimed another win on Friday, crushing the 100m competition with a season best time of 10.39 seconds. Aside from Beck's win, three Hokies earned personal bests: Donovan Louis (10.76), Michael Bell (10.86), and Keith Barbour (11.08).
Patrick Forrest continued his pursuit of sprinting dominance with a historic performance in the 400m dash. Forrest finished second with a time of 46.71 seconds and now holds the second-best time in Virginia Tech history. Right behind Forrest was Tyreke Sapp, whose time of 47.14 seconds set a new personal record.
Rachel Baxter hit the track for the first time this outdoor season and marked her return to the pole vault competition with another win as the only athlete to clear 14' 3.5" (4.36m). Emily Connor cleared 11' 8" (3.56m) in the pole vault open as the sophomore competed outdoors for the first time in her career.
On the men's side of the pole vault competition, Harrison Rice finished first among collegiate athletes. Clearing a height of 16' 0.75" (4.90m), the junior set a great mark in Charlottesville.
As the sun began to set in Charlottesville, the distance runners took to the track. Fitsum Seyoum finished second in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 8:46.19, the best time in the ACC this season. Seyoum's mark is also the second fastest time in the NCAA so far this year.
In the women's 1,500m, four Hokies recorded personal bests in the event. Among competing collegians Sarah Edwards finished second with a lifetime best of 4:15.36, followed by Lauren Berman in fourth (4:16.95), Hannah Ballowe (4:28.52), and Grace Boone (4:29.44).
Diego Zarate finished as the top collegian in the men's leg of the 1,500m run, crossing the line with a time of 3:42.42.
With the best throw in his time at Virginia Tech, Alexios Prodanas earned second place in the hammer throw. The senior from Greece heaved a massive 220' 6" (67.20m) on his final attempt in the competition.
Hokies competed in multi events for the first time this season, as Ellie Vest represented Virginia Tech in the heptathlon and four men took on the decathlon. Here's a look at where the Hokies stand on points with three events lined up for the heptathlon and five in the decathlon on Saturday:
Heptathlon
5. Ellie Vest – 2,750 points
Decathlon
3. Sean Murphy – 3,892 points
4. Jimmy Holt – 3,566 points
5. John Manilli – 3,420 points
6. Jaelyn Demory – 2,942 points
Saturday's action resumes for the Hokies in the decathlon at 10 a.m., while track and field events begin at 1 p.m. in Charlottesville.