LYNCHBURG, Va. – Diego Alejandro Zarate smashed the Hokies' 1500m school record as members of the track and field squad hit the track for one last regular season tune-up at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier.
"This meet gave a number of our athletes a chance to tune up prior to the ACC Championships next week," Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. "Some of the highlights were Diego Zarate's school record in the 1500 meters, Lindsey Butler's personal record in the 1500m, and Kennedy Dennis's lifetime best of 11.49 seconds in the 100 meters. Now it's time for the team to focus on their final exams and then it's championship time!"
Zarate stole the show for the Hokies, setting a new school record in the 1500m. Clocking in with a time of 3:39.03, the grad student snapped the nine-year-old record held by Michael Hammond. Zarate's time won the event over several professional runners and ranks second fastest in the ACC this season.
Zarate's school record marked the fastest of four Hokies to set career bests in the event, as Ben Fleming, Fitsum Seyoum, and Antonio Lopez Segura all recorded personal records in the 1500m.
Kennedy Dennis kicked things off for the Hokies at Liberty by winning the 100m dash with a career best time of 11.49 seconds. The senior's winning time moves her into second all-time at Virginia Tech, behind Patrice Pott's 11.40 from 2007. Freshman Makhia Jarrett finished third in the event, also recording a personal record time at 11.82 seconds.
KJ Moore showed out in the long jump competition, leaping 24' 3" (7.39m) to earn third place in the event and set a new career outdoor best.
In the Hokies' final event of the day, Lindsey Butler topped her previous career best in the 1500m by three seconds to win the event at a time of 4:14.43. The sophomore's performance now ranks fifth all-time at Virginia Tech.
Wednesday's one-day meet at Liberty saw several strong results from the Hokies as the 2021 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships sit less than two weeks away. Tech will travel to Raleigh as N.C. State hosts the conference meet and look to build on the Hokies' indoor successes.
