Baxter, Green come home with titles on national stage

On the final day of the Junior Outdoor Championships and New Balance High School Outdoor National Championships, Rachel Baxter won the pole vault title and future Hokie Miles Green took first in the 400-meter hurdles on Sunday, representing the current and future of Virginia Tech track and field on the national stage.

Baxter turned in a personal-best mark of 4.42 meters (14 feet, 6 inches) to place first in Bloomington, Indiana at Juniors, being the only competitor to crack the 14-foot plateau. The freshman cleared 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1.25 inches) on her third attempt to officially win it, but kept on going and soared to new heights with a lifetime best at 4.42 meters.

"Rachel did a fantastic job today, working through a couple rough spots and then putting together two huge jumps to earn her third U.S. Junior championship and new lifetime best," pole vault coach Bob Phillips shared. "I couldn't be more proud of the way she competed."

The California native punched her ticket to the U20 World Championships in Tampere, Finland, which will take place July 10-15.

Green, an incoming freshman this fall, showcased his speed in the 400 hurdles, clocking a personal-best time of 51.07 seconds at New Balance in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Pennsylvania native turned it on down the stretch and beat second place by roughly 0.4 seconds.

"First, I want to give all praise and honor to God for giving me this gift," Green said. "My state championship didn't go the way that I wanted it to, so I was determined to give it my best at NB Nationals.

"My coaches had a plan, we trained, and I came out and executed. This is one of the best moments of my life."

"This was a great day for Miles," Tech sprints/hurdles coach Tim Vaught mentioned. "He put together the race he's been training to execute, and that's what he did to win his first national championship.

"I can't wait to start working with him in the fall. Miles has a very bright future at Virginia Tech."

Another future Hokie excelled on the final day at the New Balance meet, running a leg on the winning 4x100-meter relay team that clocked a time of 40.90. The Potomac Panthers were led by jumper/sprinter Donovan Louis, who signed last November and will begin his freshman year this upcoming fall.

Next up for select Hokies will be the USA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 21-24.