The Virginia track and field team traveled to Blacksburg for its opening indoor meet last Friday and Saturday. Cavalier athletes challenged competitors from 13 other south-eastern institutions and familiarized themselves with Rector Field House, the site of the 2015 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Some team members wore the Virginia uniform for the first time, while others participated in events outside of their comfort zones.
During the two-day invitational, Cavalier athletes had personal successes in a wide range of events. Senior sprinter Jordan Lavender finished fourth in the women’s 60-meter dash and posted a personal best of 7.49 seconds. Fellow senior sprinter Payton Hazzard on the men’s side broke seven seconds in the men’s 60-meter dash preliminaries, posting a personal best of 6.95 seconds and finishing 14th in a distance he rarely — if ever — competes in.
Sophomore Christine Bohan won the women’s shot put with a personal best distance of 50 feet and .25 inches. Meanwhile, sophomore Jordan Young — a transfer from Arizona and an All-American there — was second in the men’s shot put with a throw of 17.37 meters. He placed first in the weight throw with a distance of 21.42 meters, breaking the school record by almost a meter.
Senior Ryan Satchell, an All-ACC athlete last season, came in fourth with a distance of 15.09 meters in the triple jump while freshman Mia Barron, Minnesota state-record holder in the long jump and triple jump, finished fifth in the latter event.
Barron was not the only rookie to shine in Blacksburg. Freshman pole vaulter Bridget Guy cleared a height of 11 feet and 10.75 inches, good for third in school history.
After a promising weekend in Blacksburg, the Virginia track and field team will prepare for the Rod McCravy meet in Lexington, Kentucky this Friday and Saturday. The Rod McCravy Memorial Meet perennially features high-powered track programs. Last year Kentucky, Oregon, Florida and Alabama competed, among others. Though the Cavaliers have a practice facility known as The Cage, they do not have an indoor field house, and thus all competitions for the indoor season will be on the road.
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