The Cavaliers will enjoy the comforts of home this weekend as they host the Lou Onesty Invitational at Lannigan Field. Not only is this a rare opportunity for the athletes to compete in front of a local crowd, but it is also their final tune-up before the ACC Championships.
"We don't have a whole lot of high-profile teams coming, but it's a good place to open up and get ready for ACCs," senior runner Steve Finley said. "There's no pressure."
Finley and several other Cavalier runners will compete in the mile run tonight at 6:30. Although the mile is not an official outdoor event, it is still expected to draw a considerable amount of attention, and thus the competing athletes will have but one goal: to shatter the legendary 4-minute barrier.
"Friday night's usually the best part," Finley said. "We do it every year, and this year, we probably have the best field ever."
That field includes freshman Robby Andrews, who won the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 800-meter run and will make his outdoor debut this weekend. Junior Ryan Collins, who captured the ACC crown in the 5000m run this winter, also will race for the milestone, as will All-American Sintayehu Taye and many others. No runner has ever broken the 4-minute barrier in the Charlottesville area, but with such a stacked field, some speculate this could be the year.
"The mile run is a test of endurance, speed and willpower," Virginia coach Jason Vigilante said. "Friday evening's event will showcase some of Virginia's finest student-athletes against a barrier so many sports fans can relate to."
Fans are encouraged to attend this marquee track event. It starts a half-hour before tonight's baseball game and takes place on the adjacent field, where entry is free. After the Friday night fun is finished, though, the majority of the real games begin Saturday, running from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
"Overall, I'm excited about moving into this last weekend before ACCs," Vigilante said. "We'll have a lot of the team compete, some of the folks will rest and hopefully we can get polished up quick enough to put on a good performance."
Several Cavaliers managed to post good performances at the pair of meets they attended last weekend. At the Texas Relays in Austin, freshman Dallas Rose won her section of the triple jump with a mark of 41 feet, 7.75 inches, which broke the program's all-time freshman record by nearly a foot. Junior Marcus Robinson also enjoyed success in the event, setting a personal record with a 51' 0.25" leap, good for second place in his section.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Cavaliers headed to Williamsburg for the Colonial Relays. Junior Adams Abdulzaraaq finished second in the 110m hurdles, tying his personal record of 14.16. In the longer distances, Finley and sophomore All-American Lance Roller finished third in their respective events, with with a time of 8:59.64 in the 3000m steeplechase and 1:50.42 in the 800m run. Senior Samantha Stafford also took third in the women's 3000m steeplechase (10:53.20).
"I went in there trying to be a little more competitive instead of worrying about my time," Stafford said. "I focused on being aggressive over the jumps."
A competitive spirit will be a necessity during the next few weeks as the Cavaliers go from defending their home turf to defending their ACC Outdoor title. This weekend will help define where the team stands right now, but as they well know, everything can change when the gun sounds.
"A year ago at this time, I don't think anybody really believed that we had a legitimate shot to win [the ACC]," Vigilante said. "We've just got to be confident and patient and do our best to represent the University"
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