Hokie ClubSOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Virginia Tech distance medley relay team’s first-place performance helped put the men’s team in a tie for third place after the first day of the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Indoor Track and Field Championships held Thursday at Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center.
The DMR team of Daniel Jaskowak, Brandon Thomas, Kevin Cianfarini and Neil Gourley ran the event in a time of 9 minutes, 31.05 seconds, which was a little more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Florida State. The Hokies sat in second place after the first three legs of the event, but Gourley passed Clemson’s anchor on the final lap to lift Tech to first place. The time marked a season best and also earned the Hokie quartet first-team All-ACC honors.
The DMR team earned the Hokies 10 points on the day, as Tech shares third place with Florida State. Virginia leads the team race with 15 points, followed by Notre Dame in second with 11.
“It was a great first day here at the ACC Championships for the Hokies,” said Dave Cianelli, Tech’s director of track and field and cross country. “The men’s distance medley relay came away with a win. It was an outstanding performance by Daniel Jaskowak, Brandon Thomas, Kevin Cianfarini and Neil Gourley on the mile. It was the fastest time we ran this year. It moves us up nationally, but more importantly, we get the win in the DMR, and it gives us a lot of momentum heading into day two.”
The Tech women’s team had a light day, as only the DMR team of Tessa Riley, Jada Gundran, Shannon Quinn and Katie Kennedy saw action and scored one point for the Hokies on the day. The quartet finished in eighth place with a time of 11:22.35. Of note, only the top eight finishers score points toward the team total.
The only other competitor for Tech on the day was junior Mackenzie Muldoon, and he currently sits in 10th place in the men’s heptathlon event. Only four events were scheduled for the day, as most of the action takes place Friday. Muldoon placed seventh in the 60-meter dash, finished sixth in the long jump, claimed 12th in the shot put and ninth in the high jump. He accumulated 2,739 points, which is 342 points behind Jack Lint of Virginia, who leads the competition.
Additionally, the Christiansburg, Virginia native set indoor personal-best marks in the 60-meter dash (7.30 seconds) and shot put (11.11 meters) events. He also tied his career-best mark in the long jump with a leap of 6.71 meters (22 ft., .25 in.).
The second day of the Championships will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, starting with the final three events of the heptathlon – the 60-meter hurdles, the pole vault and the 1,000-meter run. The field and running events are slated to begin at noon.
Of note, the ACC Network will begin its coverage of the Championships at 3:30 p.m. Former Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien will serve as the color analyst, reprising the role he first filled at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships. He also will be joined by veteran ESPN play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney.
Admission is free to the 2017 ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, and fans can follow @VT_Track on Twitter for updates and additional information.
PERSONAL BESTS
60 meters
Mackenzie Muldoon (7.30)
Long Jump
Mackenzie Muldoon (6.71 meters – tied)
Shot Put
Mackenzie Muldoon (11.11 meters)