BLACKSBURG – With the ACC Indoor Championships scheduled for next weekend, the Virginia Tech track and field squads will close out the regular season with competition in the Virginia Tech Challenge and JDL DMR Invitational.
The Hokies' last home meet of the year gets underway on Friday with the men's unseeded pole vault at 2 PM, followed by track events and seeded men's pole vault at 5 PM. Admission and parking for the two-day meet are free for spectators, and although the meet will not be broadcast, live results will be provided by Flash Results.
Tech will be joined by 14 schools at this weekend's Virginia Tech Challenge: Virginia, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Hampton, Towson, High Point, Radford, Roanoke, Winthrop, Maryland, William & Mary, and VMI.
In addition to the Virginia Tech Challenge, two distance medley relay teams will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to compete in the JDL DMR Invitational on Friday evening.
In the most recent edition of the USTFCCCA Track and Field Rankings Index, Virginia Tech's women's team ranked 10th in the nation for the second week in a row. The Hokies boast the highest national ranking in the ACC on the women's side. Tech ranks first in the ACC on the men's side and second in the Southeast Region.
Tech Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli, the reigning ACC Indoor Coach of the Year on the men's side, coaches his 21st season in Blacksburg.
MEET INFORMATION
Fri. | Virginia Tech Challenge | 2 PM | Live Results | Event Schedule
Sat. | Virginia Tech Challenge | 11:30 AM | Live Results | Event Schedule
Fri. | JDL DMR Invitational | 6 PM | Live Results
ATHLETES TO WATCH
Hokie fans will be treated to some of the best pole vaulters in the world this weekend during the women's pole vault elite competition on Saturday at 2 PM. World Champion, Olympic Silver Medalist, and six-time U.S. Champion Sandi Morris headlines a star-studded competition as seven top-ranked vaulters go head-to-head in Rector Field House.
With most athletes resting ahead of ACCs, a few Hokies will continue to aim for higher marks on the year. Harrison Rice, Jacob Rice, and Conner McClure will compete in the men's pole vault after taking a rest last weekend. McClure and H. Rice still hold the top mark in the ACC this year with one meet left before the conference meet.
In the women's pole vault, Julia Fixsen and Rachel Baxter both top the ACC with their best height this year of 4.48m (14' 8.25"). They'll compete back in Rector on Saturday at 11:30 AM.
Sam McLendon tied his PR of 7.87 seconds in the 60m hurdles at the Tiger Paw Invitational last weekend. He returns in the event at the Virginia Tech Challenge, currently ranked sixth in the ACC and aiming to raise his seeding even higher.
At the JDL DMR Invitational in Winston-Salem, the Hokies will run both women's and men's distance medley relays on Friday evening. It will mark the second time Tech has been to JDL Fast Track this season, following incredible performances from the distance squad at the Camel City Invitational.
LAST TIME OUT
Tech athletes delivered standout performances last weekend across the Tiger Paw Invitational and Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational. Victoria Gorlova earned ACC Co-Women's Field Performer of the Week honors as she set school records in both the long jump and triple jump, moving to the top of the ACC rankings in the latter.
Kennedy Harrison and Cole Beck both ran sub-21 seconds in the 200m, with Harrison clocking 20.88 and Beck going 20.91 to rank first and second in the ACC this season.
In Lynchburg at the Darius Dixon Memorial, three Hokies delivered sub-four-minute performances in the mile, led by Antonio Lopez Segura's school record time of 3:56.79. Ben Fleming and Seb Anthony joined him under the coveted four-minute barrier.
