Hokie ClubCOLLEGE STATION – The men’s distance medley relay team earned a silver medal to headline the first day of the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.
The distance medley relay team of redshirt juniors Daniel Jaskowak and Vincent Ciattei and juniors Greg Chiles and Kevin Cianfarini rounded out day one’s running events in fine fashion. The four-member crew ran together for the first time this season, crossing the finish line in 9 minutes, 33.35 seconds.
Jaskowak started off strong for the Hokies, but Ole Miss’ runner passed him on the final straightway to take the lead early on. However, Chiles was up next and ready to take control, as he used his quick legs to sprint out in front in the 400-meter section. Cianfarini followed suit and led the majority of the third leg, but Indiana’s runner used a tremendous kick in the final straightaway to step out in front. The race came down to the final leg, where Ciattei – the ACC champion in the mile – was in great position to make a run for the win. Unfortunately, he dropped to sixth within the first two laps and had to battle his way back to the front of the pack. Ciattei entered the final lap determined to give it his all, ultimately surging into second place on the final straightway. Of note, Ole Miss claimed gold with a time of 9:31.32.
“It was a tremendous effort from our guys,” said distance coach Ben Thomas. “You can’t be disappointed when you are the runner-up at NCAA’s. We are obviously very excited. The first two laps of the first leg, Jaskowak kind of got pinched in the back, but he did an awesome job of battling back to the front. From there, we were off to the races. Kevin ran a really strong first 600 meters, but he faded there at the end. Vince was patient, but persistent, and brought us right back up into second. If you told me this group was going to be runner-up at NCAA’s, I would’ve taken off, but I am extremely proud of them.”
“The DMR was obviously the highlight,” said Dave Cianelli, Tech’s director of track & field and cross country. “Those four guys ran incredibly well. We knew that we could place pretty high if we ran well. Anything can happen at nationals, and it usually does.”
Of note, Tech’s DMR team earned its highest finish at NCAA’s in program history. Tonight’s time also marked the sixth fastest time in Tech history. The Hokie quartet also earned first-team All-America honors in the event.
Additionally, three middle distance runners qualified for the finals in their respective events. Junior Neil Gourley qualified for the finals in the men’s mile, while seniors Drew Piazza and Hanna Green both advanced to the finals in the 800-meter run.
Gourley got off to a strong start in heat one of the mile, finishing the race in fourth place with a time of 4:00.10. The top four times in each of the two heats advanced along with the next two best times. Of note, the Glasgow, Scotland, native recorded the fifth-fastest time in Friday’s prelims.
In the men’s 800, Piazza earned the second fastest time of the day, advancing to Saturday’s finals with a mark of 1:47.91. The Danvers, Massachusetts, native finished just shy of UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir, who placed first overall in the semifinals with a time of 1:47.62. The top three times in each of the two heats advanced along with the next two best times. Of note, redshirt junior Patrick Joseph also competed in the event, placing 16th.
On the women’s side, senior Hanna Green led the Hokies in the 800-meter run, finishing the race in 2:04.06. Green, a three-time ACC champion, went back-and-forth with Texas A&M’s Jazmine Fray throughout the first three laps. However, the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native used a tremendous kick on the final turn to surge ahead of Fray, claiming the top time in Friday’s semifinals.
While the running events were going on, redshirt junior Torben Laidig and sophomore Deakin Volz competed in the men’s pole vault finals. Laidig tied for sixth place, while Volz placed 10th. Of note, the first team all-ACC honorees both finished with a mark of 5.45 meters (17 ft., 10.5 in.). However, Laidig cleared more first attempt bars than Volz, giving him a tie for sixth place overall.
Laidig, a native of Schwabish Hall, Germany, was on a roll early on, clearing his first bar on his second attempt, followed by two first-attempt clearances on his next two jumps. However, it was the 5.50-meter bar that set him back, as he failed to clear the bar on either of his three attempts. Volz, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, cleared the first three bars on his second attempt, but ultimately could not find his mark, failing to clear the 5.50-meter vault as well. Of note, South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen, who is ranked No. 1 nationally, won gold with a jump of 5.65 meters (18 ft., 6.5 in.).
Additionally, Laidig earned first-team All-America honors, while Volz walked away with second-team All-America honors.
“We are looking forward to Saturday with Neil in the mile and Hanna and Drew in the 800,” Cianelli said. “It was nice to end on a positive note with a second-place finish in the distance medley.”
Saturday’s events start at 4:00 p.m. CT, with Gourley running in the men’s mile finals at 4:10 p.m. CT. ESPN3 will stream the meet live starting at 4:55 p.m. ET. Of note, a re-air of the championship will take place on Sunday starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The NCAA Championships are the final event of the 2017 indoor season before transitioning to the outdoor season on March 24-25 at the Weems Baskins Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina.