Hokie ClubCORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Virginia Tech women’s track and field squad earned second and the Hokie men placed third to close out the ACC Outdoor Championships on Saturday at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla. The Tech women racked up 127 points, while the Hokie men tallied 130.
Florida State captured the women’s title outright with 160 points, while the Seminoles and Virginia tied for the men’s team crown with 141 points.
"It was a phenomenal meet on both sides," Tech Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "The men were in contention until the very end, and we had 11 total ACC champions, which is the most we've ever had at any meet. Because we are young I think we will continue to be in contention for ACC titles in the future."
Senior Brittany Pryor concluded her impressive final conference meet with an ACC women’s discus throw championship. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native, threw a career-best 170-01 to take first in the event, launching her best mark in her first throw of the competition. Junior Erika Schroeder finished seventh in the event, with a regional-qualifying effort of 158-00.
Pryor tallied 24 points for the Hokie women on her own in the meet, after finishing second and third in the shot put and the hammer throw, respectively. The personal-best mark also regionally qualifies Pryor in her third event this outdoor season. She stands regionally qualified in the shot put and the hammer throw as well.
Junior Queen Harrison added two more ACC individual titles for the Hokie women, capturing the women’s 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles. Harrison clocked a 13.14 and a 56.03 in the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles, respectively, en route to her fourth and fifth ACC crowns. In the 100-meter hurdles, junior Kristi Castlin finished runner-up with a time of 13.24, while junior Asia Washington took third in the 400-meter hurdles, running a 56.90. Freshman Leslie Aririguzo finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.25.
Senior Billy Berlin opened up the distance action with another Hokie ACC championship. Berlin set a meet record en route to a first-place finish in the men’s 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:43.52. Sophomore Eddie Judge finished seventh in the event, shattering his career-best with a time of 3:46.87. Senior Jessica Fanning placed seventh in the women’s 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:32.25.
Two more ACC champions came via the men’s distance events. Sophomore Ryan Witt duplicated his effort from the ACC Indoor Championships in February, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.93. Witt won the indoor 800-meter conference crown as well. Freshman Will Mulherin put an exclamation point on his outdoor freshman campaign with a first-place finish in the 5,000-meters. Mulherin crossed the finish line in 14:15.54. Sophomore Nick McLaughlin and freshman Eric Hoepker put together impressive performances in the men’s 800-meter run, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. McLaughlin ran a 1:53.18, while Hoepker posted a time of 1:54.57.
The final ACC champion for the Hokies came in the men’s pole vault, as junior Yavgeniy Olhovsky won his first outdoor conference title, after winning the indoor pole vault crown in February. Olhovsky cleared 17-11.75 to claim the gold medal. Three other Hokies scored points for Tech in the event. Sophomores Joe Davis and Mike Miller registered fourth and fifth-place finishes, respectively, while sophomore Hunter Hall took seventh. Davis cleared 16-06.75, while Miller and Hall both vaulted 16-00.75, but Miller placed higher with less misses.
Senior Natalie Sherbak, after winning the women’s 10,000-meter run last night, came back to place third in the women’s 5,000-meters today. Sherbak ran a regional-qualifying 16:37.54. Senior Erin Reddan clocked a 17:05.18 to record an eighth-place showing in the event.
In other sprints and hurdles action, freshman Keare Smith and sophomore Ebenezer Amegashie placed third and sixth, respectively in the 110-meter hurdles. Smith clocked a 14.35, while Amegashie crossed the line in 14.65. Freshman Nick Vaughn placed seventh in the men’s 400-meter dash, clocking a 47.45, and another freshman, Keith Ricks, earned fourth in the men’s 100-meter dash with a time of 10.52. Amegashie came back in the 400-meter hurdles to run a career-best 53.44 to take seventh, while Ricks and Vaughn returned to place fourth and eighth, respectively, in the men’s 200-meter dash. Ricks earned a time of 21.02, while Vaughn clocked a 21.70.
On the women’s side, freshmen Ogechi Nwaneri and Aunye Boone finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the women’s 100-meter dash. Nwaneri ran an 11.66, while Boone posted a time of 11.85. The duo came back later to perform well in the 200-meter dash. Boone clocked a 23.57 for third place, and Nwaneri earned a time of 24.09 for a fifth-place showing.
In other field action, sophomore Kelly Phillips equaled her season-best in the women’s pole vault to place sixth and add three points to the team total. The Blacksburg native cleared 12-07.50 in the event. Junior Igor Misljenovic took fourth in the men’s discus throw with a toss of 187-03, and freshman Hasheem Halim placed seventh in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 49-07.75.
Tech opened the running events on the day strongly with the women’s and men’s 4x100-meter relay. Senior Shakirra Pinnock, Castlin, Boone and Nwaneri ran a regional-qualifying 45.14 in the event to finish runner-up. On the men’s side, Tech placed third in the 4x100-meter relay. The team of Smith, Vaughn, Ricks, along with Amegashie ran a 40.88, just missing the regional standard of 40.66.
The Hokies closed out the meet well with the 4x400-meter relays. The quartet of Washington, Boone, Pinnock and Nwaneri took sixth with a time of 3:43.17 in the women’s 4x400-meter relay. On the men’s side, the foursome of Vaughn, Ricks, Amegashie and Witt took seventh with a time of 3:14.24.
The Hokies continue the outdoor season next weekend with the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Penn., April 24-25. Results will be available on hokiesports.com following the conclusion of each day’s events.
Women’s Results
1) Florida State 160 2) Virginia Tech 127
3) North Carolina 123 4) Virginia 74 5) Miami 69 6) Georgia Tech 55.507) NC State 52.50 8) Clemson 44 9) Wake Forest 35 9) Maryland 35 11) Duke 33 12) Boston College 8
Men Results
1) Virginia 141 1) Florida State 141 3) Virginia Tech 130
4) Georgia Tech 81 5) North Carolina 72 6) Clemson 69 7) Duke 61 8) Wake Forest 45 9) Miami 40 10) Maryland 22 11) Boston College 9 12) NC State 7