BLACKSBURG – Following impressive performances at the Doc Hale Elite Meet and Camel City Invitational, Virginia Tech track and field travels to Clemson for the Tiger Paw Invitational and Liberty for the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational this weekend as postseason competition quickly approaches.
Clemson's Tiger Paw Invite is set to begin at noon on Friday at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex. The two-day meet will have live results provided by Adkins Trak Timing and will be broadcast on ACCNX.
Tech's distance squad travels to Liberty for the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational, as the Hokies are slated to run at 6:50 PM on Friday, with live results provided by Blue Ridge Timing.
At the Tiger Paw Invite, the Hokies will be joined by 21 of the other top teams in the nation, including seven ACC schools (Clemson, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia), Texas, Southern California, Tennessee, North Carolina A&T, UCF, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State, Kentucky, Kansas, South Carolina, Harvard, Hampton, and Villanova. Including Virginia Tech, seven of the competing teams on the men's and women's sides are ranked in the top 25 nationally.
In Lynchburg, Tech will be joined by Campbell, Charleston Southern, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Duke, ETSU, Elon, Furman, High Point, James Madison, Liberty, Navy, NC State, North Carolina, North Florida, Penn, Radford, UNCG, UNCW, USC Upstate, Virginia, Wake Forest, and William & Mary.
USTFCCCA's third edition of their Track and Field Rankings Index was released this past Monday, with Virginia Tech's women's team ranked 10th in the nation and the men ranked 13th. The Hokies are the only program in the ACC whose women's and men's teams are both ranked in the top 20 nationally, with the women's side earning its highest ranking since 2010.
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. | Tiger Paw Invite | NOON | Live Results | Event Schedule | ACCNX
Sat. | Tiger Paw Invite | 11 AM | Live Results | Event Schedule | ACCNX
Fri. | Darius Dixon Memorial | 6:50 PM | Live Results | Event Schedule
Sat. | Darius Dixon Memorial | 2:15 PM | Live Results | Event Schedule
ATHLETES TO WATCH
ACC Women's Field Performer of the Week Rachel Baxter will compete in the pole vault at the Tiger Paw Invitational, looking to continue her dominant indoor season. Baxter and Julia Fixsen will both aim to raise their season best of 4.48m (14' 8.25") as they share the NCAA No. 2 height this year.
Tech's men's sprinting core will go head-to-head with some of the other fastest teams in the country this year, as Cole Beck takes on the 60m, Kennedy Harrison, Tyreke Sapp, Patrick Forrest, Kahleje "KJ" Tillmon, and Torrence Walker run the 400m, and seven Hokies hit the track on Saturday for the 200m.
In the throws pit, Rebecca Mammel and Sara Killinen compete against a strong weight throw field on Friday. Mammel holds the nation's fifth best mark this year and will look to improve her ranking at Clemson. Essence Henderson and Tyson Jones throw on Saturday in the women's and men's shot put in what looks to be a heated competition.
At the Darius Dixon Memorial, reigning ACC Co-Men's Track Performer of the Week Antonio Lopez Segura leads the Hokies in the men's mile. Lopez Segura, Ben Fleming, Ben Nibbelink, and Seb Anthony all hold PRs under four minutes in the event and will aim to break that barrier yet again.
LAST TIME OUT
During last weekend's competitions, three Hokies earned ACC Performer of the Week honors for their performances. Rachel Baxter earned the Women's Field honor after posting the NCAA No. 2 mark in pole vault, Lindsey Butler took the ACC lead and NCAA No. 2 spot in the 800m with her converted time of 2:03.61 to earn Women's Track honors, and Antonio Lopez Segura was named Co-Men's Track performer following his school record, ACC lead, and NCAA No. 2 performance in the 3,000m with a converted time of 7:43.64.
