GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the second weekend of outdoor competition for the Hokies, Tech athletes continued to set strong marks in the new season at the first day of the Florida Relays.
Following a weather delay to Thursday's events, Sara Killinen opened the Florida Relays for Tech in the women's hammer, unleashing a monster throw that flew 66.37m (217' 9"). Her season opener in the event saw her finish in second among collegiate athletes and ranks as the No. 1 throw in the ACC this season by over five meters. Killinen's mark also comes in as a lifetime best, moving her into the No. 3 spot in Virginia Tech history.
In the men's 200m, a trio of Hokies set strong opening marks to kick off their outdoor season in the event. Kahleje "KJ" Tillmon led the way for Tech, posting a time of 20.75 seconds to finish 10th in his first collegiate outdoor edition of the event. The freshman from Tucker, Ga. ran a fastest time of 21.22 indoors, blowing his lifetime best out of the water in Gainesville.
Cole Beck opened in the 200m with a time of 20.86 seconds, improving on his 2021 opener of 21.06. Following Tillmon and Beck was Kennedy Harrison, who posted a time of 21.19 to kick off his outdoor campaign in the 200m.
Closing out the night was Essence Henderson, who took the win in the women's discus invitational as the top collegiate athlete with a throw of 56.77m (186' 3"). Henderson's throw in Gainesville ranks as the second-best mark of her life, behind her school record of 57.72m (189' 4") that she set at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Action resumes on Saturday in the Florida Relays as Layla Anderson runs in the women's 100m hurdles at noon, while the Bill Carson Invitational kicks off at 11:30 AM in Greenville, N.C.