Virginia track and field enjoys a historic weekend at the Virginia Challenge

Virginia observe and subject hosted a number of faculties — together with 9 different ACC applications — from throughout the nation for the Virginia Problem, with the meet starting Thursday in Lannigan Subject. The Cavaliers rose by the packed subject to come back away with a variety of successes by the occasion’s conclusion Saturday.

Thursday

The primary competitors of the meet noticed Virginia take the sphere for the boys’s hammer throw. Junior thrower Jacob Lemmon earned sixth after a season-best toss of 62.59 meters (205’4”), a 0.74 meter improve from graduate thrower Evangelos Fradelakis’ earlier season excessive. Fradelakis additionally competed, launching 60.81 meters (199’6”) to choose up an eighth place end.

The ladies’s hammer throw adopted, with freshman thrower Jada Marsh ending twelfth following a throw of 55.05 meters (180’7”). The throw was the fifth longest in Virginia girls’s hammer throw historical past. 

Friday

The occasion’s second day started in profitable vogue for the Cavaliers, as senior distance runner Peter Morris gained the boys’s 10000-meter with a time of 30:07.99. Sophomore distance runner Nick Karayianis adopted in ninth, operating a 30:47.17. 

Senior javelin thrower Ethan Dabbs placed on a present within the males’s javelin, heaving a personal-best 80.41 meters (263’9”) to win the occasion — concurrently setting a Virginia Problem meet file and Lannigan Subject facility file.

Extra data have been damaged within the girls’s discus, this time by graduate thrower Ashley Anumba. After a personal-best 56.67 meter (185’11”) throw, Anumba gained the occasion and took dwelling the Virginia Problem meet file for the competitors. 

Sophomore thrower Maria Deaviz and senior thrower Thelma Kristjansdotti additionally competed within the occasion, ending third and fourth with throws of 49.99 meters (164’0”) and 48.74 meters (159’11”), respectively. 

Sophomore sprinter Abby Comella set a private finest within the girls’s 400-meter race, ending 14th with a time of 55.49 seconds. Senior sprinter Jordan Willis gained the boys’s 400-meter occasion after a blazing time of 46.48 seconds.

Virginia positioned two runners inside the highest 4 of the ladies’s 100-meter, with junior sprinter Jada Seaman and sophomore sprinter Kayla Bonnick incomes second and fourth following races of 11.43 seconds and 11.51 seconds, respectively. 

Within the girls’s 1500-meter, freshman distance runner Mia Barnett ran a 4:11.32 to choose up a second place end. The time additionally positioned Barnett second all-time in Virginia girls’s 1500-meter historical past. 

Freshman distance runner Nathan Mountain participated in his first males’s 3000-meter steeplechase, discovering quick success with a sixth place end and a time of 8:45.42. Mountain now ranks ninth all-time within the occasion in this system’s historical past.

The lads’s 5000-meter competitors additionally introduced success for the Cavaliers, with sophomore distance runner Wes Porter operating the quickest time in Virginia historical past. Porter positioned fourth within the occasion, ending in 13:36.84. 

Senior distance runner Rohann Asfaw garnered fifth within the males’s 10000-meter, operating a 28:53.84. The time is the second quickest in this system’s historical past.

The lads’s discus noticed two extra Cavaliers end inside the highest 5. Junior thrower Claudio Romero had a toss of 64.79 meters (212’6”) profitable the occasion handily and likewise breaking a Virginia Problem meet file within the course of. Lemmon led to fourth after launching 57.65 meters (189’1”). 

To finish the second day, junior pole vaulter Caroline Dannenbaum and sophomore pole vaulter Gabriella Recce tied for third place within the girls’s pole vault occasion, every leaping 3.91 meters (12’10”). 

Within the males’s pole vault, junior pole vaulter Kyle Mosteller turned in a personal-best efficiency of 4.81 meters (15’9.25”) to finish in fourth. Junior pole vaulter Derek Pekar lept 4.66 meters (15’3.5”) for a fifth place end. 

Saturday

After a profitable begin to the meet’s opening two days, Virginia observe and subject completed in related vogue, ending close to the highest of practically each occasion it competed in.

Senior excessive jumper Bex Hawkins collected fifth within the girls’s invite excessive leap, hovering 1.76 meters (5’9.25”). Within the males’s excessive leap, graduate jumper Jacob Kelly leaped a personal-best 2.04 meters (6’8.25”) for eighth place.

Seaman turned in an enormous efficiency within the girls’s 200-meter competitors, taking the victory with a time of 23.18 seconds. It was a personal-best time for Seaman, and one which tied the Virginia Problem meet file and got here inside one hundredth of second of a program file. Bonnick additionally garnered seventh, ending the race in 24.01 seconds. 

Willis and sophomore sprinter Jay Pendarvis every inked private bests within the males’s 200 meter occasion. Willis collected seventh along with his time of 21.02 seconds, whereas Pendarvis’ race of 21.22 seconds was good for thirteenth.

The ladies’s shot-put discovered two Cavaliers inside the prime 10, together with Deaviz and Anumba. Deaviz pushed 16.17 meters (53’0.75”) for third place, with Anumba ending in eighth after a hoist of 15.03 meters (49’3.75”). 

Senior jumper Owayne Owens leaped 16.27 meters (53’4.5”) within the males’s triple leap to take dwelling first place honors. The efficiency was Owens’ season finest. Freshman jumper Heldi Valikaj positioned tenth in the identical competitors, leaping 14.98 meters (49’1.75”).  

To shut out the day, Virginia — represented by Willis, Pendarvis, junior sprinter Nigal Davis and freshman sprinter Alex Sherman — positioned fourth within the males’s 4×400 relay. The Cavaliers accomplished the race in 3:11.19, a season-best time. 

Total, Cavalier athletes set 4 Virginia Problem data over the weekend and earned 11 private finest competitions in a three-day interval that might solely be thought of a hit for this system.

Virginia will return to motion Thursday for the Penn Relays at Franklin Subject in Philadelphia, Pa., with the meet operating for 3 days and concluding Saturday.