Cavaliers Qualify for Finals of ACC Track and Field Championships
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Feb. 24, 2006
The Virginia men’s team qualified eight athletes for tomorrow’s finals of the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, led by three men in the mile. The men’s distance medley team finished third overall Emily Harrison was Virginia’s highest individual scorer as she took fourth in the 5K. Her counterparts Ryan Foster and Andrew Dumm finished sixth and seventh in the men’s 5K.
Foster and Dumm, who earned All-Regional honors with the ACC men’s champion cross country team from earlier this year, finished sixth and seventh in the 5K tonight. Foster ran a personal-best 14:31.95 to take sixth, just ahead of teammate Dumm, who ran 14:32.69 for seventh. Harrison’s 16:54.12 placed her fourth at the meet.
Alex Tatu qualified for the finals of both the 800m and the mile, running a season-best 4:10.84 in the mile in the first running event of the before doubling back in 800 where he finished second in his heat and qualified automatically. He finished just ahead of teammate Andrew Jesien, who also qualified with his 4:11.54. Kevin McHale ran in the third heat and posted a 4:13.94, giving the Cavaliers a third qualifier in the finals. Virginia is the only school with three finalists in the mile and in the 800 the ‘Hoos are one of only two schools with more than one qualifier. Joining Tatu in the finals of the 800 is Jordan Orr, who is the No. 5 qualifier with his 1:53.07.
The short sprinters qualified a number of finalists, including Reuben Jones, who qualified for the finals of the 60m dash with a personal-best mark of 6.88. That mark moves him up to No. 3 all-time at Virginia. Teammate Kellen Blassingame qualified in the 400m, an event in which he holds the school record. He is the no. 2 seed for the finals tomorrow on the heels of his 47.40 from today. Blassingame just missed qualifying for the finals of the 200m, running a 21.83, Virginia’s best mark of the season, but it was just .03 shy of the cut line. On the women’s side, Erin Crawford and Ashley Gore both qualified for the final of the quarter, with both ladies posting a mark that was faster than the leading Cavalier time entering the meet. Crawford ran 55.51 and Gore ran a 55.54, which seeds them No. 6 and No. 7 for the finals tomorrow. Virginia is one of only three schools to qualify multiple athletes for the 400m final. First-year Talia Wise also qualified for the finals of the 60m dash, running a personal-best 7.60. She also set a personal-best mark of 24.38 in the 200m that moved the rookie to the No. 4 all-time performer in that event in school history.
In the heptathlon, David Lewis pole vaulted 15′ 5″, eight inches higher than his closest competitor, and then finished second in the 1000m by .18 seconds to jump from 12th to 8th, where he scored for the Cavaliers, posting a personal-best mark in the event. Rachel Marks led all competitors in the high jump portion of the pentathlon and set a personal best mark in the event at the meet, but finished just out of the scoring race with a ninth place score.
Tomika Ferguson placed sixth in the long jump with her 6.06m (19′ 10.75″). Isi Azeke missed tying his season-best mark in the long jump by one centimeter 7.09m (23′ 3.25″), but he still took eighth place to help the Cavaliers. He also qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, running a season-best 8.14, a personal-best mark for him and one that makes him the No. 5 all-time performer at Virginia in school history.
The men stand eighth overall with 13 points after six events, just six points out of fifth place. The women are in tenth place after six events, four points out of eighth.
WOMEN: 60m: Talia Wise, 7.60Q; Tiffany Roberts, 7.78; 200m: Wise, 24.38; Roberts, 25.44; 400m: Erin Crawford, 55.51Q; Ashley Gore, 55.54Q; 800m: Sara Casscells, 2:13.26; Danielle Light, 2:14.01; Eryn Correa, 2:20.74; Mile: Lauretta Dezubay, 5:04.90; Shannon Hawrylo, 5:16.59; 5000m: Harrison, 16:54.12, 4th; Kara Scanlin, 17:17.69; Laura Hodges, 17:24.33; 60m Hurdles: Lauren Echko, 8.66; Keshia Ashe, 8.98; Jackie Bailey, 9.09; Pentathlon: Rachel Marks, 3394; WT: Alexa Manning, 15.55m (51′ .25″); Billie-Jo Grant, 14.47m (47′ 5.75″); Mallory Denison, 13.37m (43′ 10.5″); Amy Bilmanis, 12.35m (40′ 6.25″); LJ: Ferguson, 6.06m (19′ 10.75″), 6th; Rachel Marks, 5.76m (18′ 10.75″), Katie Tershel, 5.73m (18′ 9.75″); DMR (3800m): 11:22.00; PV: Kathryn Pettine, 3.46m (11′ 4.25″), Alicia LaRoche, 3.46m (11′ 4.25″).
MEN: 60m: Reuben Jones, 6.88Q; Tyler Hendry, 7.10; 200m: Kellen Blassingame, 21.83; Jones, 22.65; Hendry, 23.21; 400m: Blassingame, 47.40Q; 800m: Alex Tatu, 1:52.79Q; Jordan Orr, 1:53.07Q; Michael Hagos, 1:54.32; Mile: Tatu, 4:10.84Q; Andrew Jesien, 4:11.54Q; Kevin McHale, 4:13.94Q; Sam Fletcher, 4:20.64; Danny Howick, 4:23.31; 5000m: Ryan Foster, 14:31.95; 6th; Andrew Dumm, 14:32.69, 7th; Will Christian, 14:54.69; Matt Guttridge, 14:57.88; Taylor Smith, 15:11.61; 60m Hurdles: Isi Azeke, 8.14Q; Devin Canaday, 8.27; Heptathlon, David Lewis, 4791, 8th; LJ: Isi Azeke, 7.09m (23′ 3.25″), 8th; Devin Canaday, 6.82m (22′ 4.5″); DMR: Virginia, 9:58.54, 3rd.