The meet was a strong showing for the Virginia men, proving a consistent ability to place high against the ACC’s best. The victory for the men would not have been possible without top marks from runners and throwers like Wachtel, Gardener and Nubbe combined with frequent top-five finishes from the rest of the team.
Sandkulla threw a distance of 67.13 meters, steadily progressing in each of her first four throws and placing the highest on her fifth. She was not too far from her personal record of 67.31 meters either, and was over six meters ahead of the runner up.
This meet showed consistent improvement across both the distance and the thrower contingents, and proved that they will be a strength for Virginia as the team heads into the championship season.
The men’s and women’s teams took on the ASICS Last Chance Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saucony Battle for Boston in Mass. and the VT Challenge in Blacksburg, where they delivered dominant performances as they look to spike up for the championship season.
The meet included many personal best times for the Cavaliers along with a surprising turn of events in the men’s 800-meter invite.
In Lynchburg, the marquee highlight of the meet was brought by the women’s 4x400-meter relay Saturday afternoon. Bringing their flair to the field, the quartet was able to shatter the previous meet record — held by Virginia Tech since 2022 — with a season's best time of 3:41.71.
The Millrose Games is a prominent meet for professional track and field athletes in the lead up to World Indoor Championships in March.
Virginia athletes continued to build strong momentum across sprints, distance, field events and the multis, with multiple Virginia athletes recording program top-10 marks and personal bests.
"[A] solid opening meet with impressive performances from the throwers, jumpers and hurdlers,” Coach Vin Linanna said. “We will have a big group at Virginia Tech next weekend."
The clear highlight of the meet was senior Gary Martin’s 25 second personal record in the men’s 5k.
Bushée’s team-first mentality applies off the track as well — she brings this sense of collective good to her volunteering work.
“The women did a good job and set the stage for a big finish next year as all seven runners return in 2026,” Coach Vin Lananna said.
While they did end up punching a ticket in the secondary selection process, for both teams it was a clear regression from last year’s performance.
For the first time since 2008, Virginia has won the ACC men’s cross country championship –– the fifth conference title in program history.
The last time Virginia has won a men’s ACC Championship in cross country was in 2008. This is likely their best chance to claim it.
"'All you can do is prepare to show the world the gift that he has blessed you with.’ And I think that is the best thing I've ever heard, and it completely wipes away all that stress and anxiety.”
Appleton and others earned All-American honors.
11 Cavaliers will compete at NCAAs.
Virginia's stars finished within the qualifying zone at the East Regionals.
The last time the Virginia women’s track and field team won ACC Outdoor Championships was 1987 — at least until this past weekend.
