ATHENS, Ga. – On the first day of the Torrin Lawrence Memorial, Eszter Bajnok further cemented her name in Hokies' jumping history. The graduate student had already held school records in the long jump and triple jump both indoors and outdoors, and on Friday afternoon at Spec Towns Track she bettered her own record in the long jump.
"The highlight of the day was obviously Eszter in the long jump," Assistant Coach Paul Zalewski said. "She looked amazing, and the results showed it. Two jumps over her previous school record and a big 21' 4.75" (6.52m) was just awesome. I think she surprised herself a little, but honestly, she's been training so well and so consistently, I could see it coming. I'm so proud of her."
With her leap of 21' 4.75" (6.52m), Bajnok shattered the record she set in 2019 by nearly a foot. The Hungarian's mark now places her second in the ACC this season and 12th in the nation as postseason competition draws closer.
Other highlights from the first day of action at Torrin Lawrence included the men's long jump and the women's high jump. In the high jump, three Hokies posted strong results, as freshman Jordan Jones debuted with a height of 5' 7" (1.70m) to finish fourth and move onto sixth place in Tech's record book.
"Jordan did a great job in her first ever collegiate meet," Coach Zalewski said. "The 1.70m mark puts her sixth all-time at Virginia Tech, so she's off to a great start. I'm excited to see her future unfold."
The men's long jump saw Donovan Louis return to action followed by three of Tech's decathletes. Louis finished fourth with a leap of 22' 9.75" (6.95m), while Sean Murphy earned a lifetime best in the competition by jumping 21' 11.75" (6.70m).
Virginia Tech returns to action tomorrow with a full slate of events, as the Torrin Lawrence resumes at 1 p.m. while the Virginia Grand Prix and the Tennessee Challenge are set to kick off.
Gallery: (4-30-2021) 2021 TORRIN LAWRENCE MEMORIAL DAY ONE