BLACKSBURG – After a weekend in which the five disciplines split up for three meets, the Virginia Tech track and field teams will take five student athletes Georgia's campus for the Spec Towns Invitational.
The two-day invitational will begin with the decathlon at 11:45 a.m. ET on Friday and will commence again on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
The Tech women dropped from 18th to No. 20 in the outdoor United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) TFRI Ranking Index.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | Spec Towns Invitational | 11:45 a.m. ET | Live Results
Sat. | Spec Towns Invitational | 10:45 a.m. ET | Live Results
Tech had some outstanding performances last weekend at the Florida, Texas and Raleigh Relays. Throwers Emma Thor took and Tyson Jones took home first-place finishes, while several others put up marks and times that got into Tech's all-time record book.
Jacory Patterson lead the sprints group as he broke Hillard Sumner's 1996 400-meter Tech record (46.73) with his time of 45.76 seconds to finish second last weekend at the Florida Relays. The time that Patterson ran is currently the second-fastest time in the country and is the No. 1 time in the world among all athletes under the age of 20.
Due to his performance last weekend, Patterson was named Co-ACC Performer of the week in men's track.
Tyson Jones, Isaiah Rogers and Pavla Kuklova stood out for the throws group. Jones moved to No. 5 in the record book as he tossed a mark of 18.36 meters (60 feet, 3 inches) in the shot, while Rogers threw the seventh-best mark in Tech history his mark of 17.50 meters (57 feet, 5 inches). Kulova placed second with her throw of 64.66 meters (212 feet, 2 inches) in the hammer, and in the process qualified for the World University Championships, which will take place in Italy later this summer.
The Hokies have nine student-athletes who have times and marks that rank across the nation in the top 25. Kuklova and Thor rank 11th and 19th in the hammer throw, while on the men's side, Patterson owns the second-fastest time in the 400-meter dash, Deakin Volz is tied for 11th in the pole vault and Jones has the 24th best throw in the shot.
