The inaugural Virginia-Missouri Jefferson Dual came down to the wire for both Virginia track teams Saturday, as the women's team edged out Missouri 103-99 and the men's squad narrowly lost 97-105.
After trailing Missouri by 19 points, the Virginia women's squad rallied with 10 top finishes, including a first place 4x400m time that sealed the Cavaliers' overall win. Junior Lauren Echko recorded a personal best 14.15-second finish in the 100m hurdles, while junior Talia Wise and sophomore Ayla Smith dominated the 400m dash. The Cavaliers met 11 NCAA Regional qualifying times, with freshman Rashawnda James' leap of 12.36 meters in the triple jump and senior Billie-Jo Grant's 50.57-meter discus throw highlighting the performances.
Missouri narrowly defeated the Virginia men's squad in a series of close victories Saturday. Despite the final results, Virginia demonstrated its strength with several impressive individual performances. Freshman Adams Abdulrazaaq met two NCAA Regional qualifying times in the 110m and 400m hurdles. Meanwhile, senior Reuben Jones and sophomore Brandon Carter finished in the top two slots of the 100m dash, which cut the Tigers' lead to only four points. Missouri's wins in the final two running events, however, countered Virginia's quick individual times.
The meet was beneficial for both squads, Virginia Media Relations reported. Virginia track and field director Randy Bungard acknowledged the unique opportunity of a dual meet and said to media relations, "It gives people a chance to succeed where they otherwise may not be able to. It gives everyone all around a chance to compete. And today, we did that."
--compiled by Jenny Taylor
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