Hokies eye success at NCAA ChampionshipsHokies eye success at NCAA Championships
Track & Field

Hokies eye success at NCAA Championships

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EUGENE, Ore. – Following a season full of school records, conference champions, and memorable moments, the culmination of the Hokies' return to outdoor track and field culminates at historic Hayward Field this week. Ten Hokies and the men's 4x400m relay are set to take on the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning on Wednesday afternoon.
 
MEET INFORMATION
The four-day championship meet follows the same format as Jacksonville, Fla.'s East Preliminary Championships: men's competition runs Wednesday and Friday, and women will compete Thursday and Saturday. Live results will be provided by FlashResults, and ESPN will broadcast the duration of the week's competition. Every field event will be available live on ESPN3, with track events live on ESPN2/ESPNU each day.
 
ESPN Broadcasts | Live Results | Schedule | Men's Start Lists | Women's Start Lists
 
HOKIES IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eszter Bajnok – Triple Jump

  • The graduate from Kéthely, Hungary returns to Hayward Field for the third time in her career. Advancing in the triple jump with a qualifying leap of 43' 5.25" (13.24m), Bajnok is set to appear in the second flight of the competition beginning at 6:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Rachel Baxter – Pole Vault

  • Baxter cleared the qualifying height of 14' 0" (4.27m) at the East Prelims in Jacksonville, Fla. to advance to the national championships for the first time since 2018. A five-time All-American, Baxter enters the competition seeded fifth, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Cole Beck – 100 meters

  • Continuing his meteoric rise towards the end of this season, the junior from Blacksburg eyes his outdoor championship debut in the 100m. Following a gold medal in the event at the ACC Championships, Beck qualified past the East Prelims with a school record time of 10.10 seconds. Beck will start his Hayward journey in the semifinals of the 100m at 9:16 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Lauren Berman – 1500 meters

  • Setting the second-fastest time in Virginia Tech history (4:10.82) in a fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships, Berman brings experience and strong running to the 1500m competition in Eugene. Her week is set to begin at 6:46 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Lindsey Butler – 800 meters

  • The ACC Outdoor Championships runner up in the 800m, Butler readies to bring her gutsy racing style to Hayward Field for the first time. Seeded 11th with a qualifying time of 2:02.27, the sophomore from Corning, N.Y. takes on the 800m semifinals at 8:14 ET Thursday evening.

Chauncey Chambers – Triple Jump

  • With as clutch a performance as one could ask for at the East Prelims, Chambers qualified for the NCAA Championships with a personal bET 52' 5.5" (15.99m) leap on his final jump of the competition. Another of the Hokies' Hayward Field newcomers, Chambers is slated for the second flight of the triple jump at 8:20 p.m. ET on Friday.

Essence Henderson – Discus Throw

  • The 2021 ACC Champion in the shot put brings her equally excellent discus performances to the NCAA Championships. Henderson set new school records in the discus four times this season, including at the East Prelims where she qualified for Eugene with a throw of 182' 7" (55.66m). Henderson's championships begin Saturday at 5:35 p.m. ET in the first flight of the discus competition.

Alexios Prodanas – Hammer Throw

  • Prodanas looks to add more silverware to his season's haul, as the 2021 ACC Champion in the hammer enters the national championship seeded ninth. Qualifying at the East Prelims with a throw of 223' 4" (68.07m), the man from Kilkis, Greece will be the first Hokie to take on the nation this year, his NCAA Championships slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday.

Fitsum Seyoum – 3000m Steeplechase

  • Seyoum's eyes are firmly set on national glory, as the ACC champion brings the fastest 3000m steeplechase time in the country (8:31.23) to Hayward Field. The junior from Leesburg, Va. takes on the hurdles and water pit in track's most unique event with his semifinals set for 8:32 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Diego Alejandro Zarate – 1500 meters

  • Zarate has delivered bold performances time and time again in the 1500m this season and looks to continue that trend at the NCAA Championships. Setting the Virginia Tech school record earlier this year at 3:39.03, Zarate takes on the semifinals of the event at 8:16 ET Wednesday night.

Men's 4x400m Relay

  • A historic year in the 4x400m relay for the Hokies continues at the NCAA Championships. For the first time in school history, Tech claimed the men's 4x400m title at the ACC Championships, and now the squad of Patrick Forrest, Cameron Rose, Tyreke Sapp, and Cole Beck are set to represent the Hokies for the first time on the national stage, with the semifinals of the event set for Wednesday at 11:18 p.m. 

HOKIES SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Wednesday, June 9 (Men)
5:30 – Hammer (Alexios Prodanas)
8:16 – 1500m Semifinal (Diego Alejandro Zarate)
8:32 – 3000m Steeplechase Semifinal (Fitsum Seyoum)
9:16 – 100m Semifinal (Cole Beck)
11:18 – 4x400m Semifinal (Patrick Forrest, Cameron Rose, Tyreke Sapp, Cole Beck)
 
Thursday, June 10 (Women)
6:46 – 1500m (Lauren Berman)
7:00 – Pole Vault (Rachel Baxter)
8:14 – 800m (Lindsey Butler)
 
Friday, June 11 (Men)
8:11 – 1500m Final
8:20 – Triple Jump (Chauncey Chambers)
8:24 – 3000m Steeplechase Final
8:52 – 100m Final
10:21 – 4x400m Final
 
Saturday, June 12 (Women)
5:35 – Discus (Essence Henderson)
6:11 – 1500m Final
6:20 – Triple Jump (Eszter Bajnok)
7:14 – 800m Final