BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men's and No. 8 women's track and field teams will close out the regular season competing at the Virginia Tech Challenge and JDL DMR Invitational.
The Hokies will be joined in Blacksburg by Duke, High Point, Lynchburg, NC State, Ohio, Radford, Roanoke, Southern Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Winthrop. Field events will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Friday with the women's pole vault. Running events will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the women's mile.
Tech will send three distance medley relay teams to Winston-Salem, N.C. on Friday, Feb. 17 to compete at the JDL DMR Invitational. Hannah Ballowe, Lindsey Butler, Ava Hassebrock, and Star Price will lead the women's efforts in the DMR. The men will send two teams of four including; Ryan Chevalier, Kennedy Harrison, Viktor Idhammar, Will Jones, Antonio Lopez Segura, Arlo Ludewick, Ben Nagel, and Declan Rymer.
Junior Lindsey Butler set a school record in the women's mile last weekend at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational clocking in a time of 4:31.41, finishing second. Butler is ranked fifth in DI in the women's mile and is ranked first in the ACC in the 800m.
The U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association's number one ranked women's pole vault event squad, Virginia Tech, is scheduled to compete this weekend at Rector Field House. The Hokies have three pole vaulters ranked within the top 10 with only one weekend left in the regular season.
Julia Fixsen and Kenna Stimmel are currently ranked tied for third in the nation with a height of 14' 7.25" (4.45m), and Journey Gurley is ranked ninth at 14' 2.5" (4.33m). Jacob Rice and Harrison Rice are tied for second in the ACC in the men's pole vault with a height of 17' 4.5" (5.30m).
Senior Rebecca Mammel is scheduled to compete in the women's weight throw on Friday. Mammel is ranked sixth in DI, first in the ACC, with a season-best mark of 75' 4" (22.96m).
Heptathletes Sean Murphy and Clay Eckert are scheduled to compete in both field and running events. Murphy ranks third in the ACC with a personal-best score of 5,504 points set at the Lenny Lyles Invitational on Jan. 27. Junior Clay Eckert is ranked eighth with a score of 5,026 points.
