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Feb. 23, 2007

The Virginia middle distance men dominated the mile and the 800 prelims today at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, leading all schools with three qualifiers in each event. Alex Tatu was the top qualifier in the 800 with his 1:52.42; both he and Kevin McHale qualified for both finals. Jordan Orr continued his streak of advancing to every 800m final in his career, and Andrew Jesien will be Virginia’s third competitor in the mile. On the women’s side, both Janine Ricci and Sara Casscells both qualified for the finals in the mile; no other school has more than two participants in the finals tomorrow.

The men’s distance medley saw 3000 hopeful Jan Foerster run a 4:07 mile to out-lean one of Boston College’s top milers, beating him at the tape to give the Cavaliers a 9:52.74 and a second-place finish.

“I told our team tonight that I was proud of our gutsy performances,” said Virginia head coach Randy Bungard. “Seeing Jan take second the way he did, and the way that so many of our student-athletes hit personal best marks today showed me that they were competing all the way through the meet.”

A number of Cavaliers hit season-best marks in the conference meet today, including Ayla Smith whose 8.68 in the 60-meter hurdles moves her to the No. 4 spot all-time, behind teammates Lauren Echko and Bianca Debartolo, whose 8.65 in the pentathlon yesterday moved her up to third. Smith also hit a season-best mark in the 800m today.

The Cavalier men also fared well in the 5000m as Andrew Dumm took fifth and Andy Biladeau finished just behind him in sixth. Biladeau joins Dumm in the top-five all-time at Virginia, moving into the No. 5 spot with his 14:27.45. Kara Scanlin had a personal-best time through 3000m in the 5K tonight; she finished with a season-best 16:47.58 and took sixth place overall.

Tomika Ferguson missed hitting an NCAA provisional mark in the long jump by 10 centimeters, jumping an even 6.00m for the first time in 2007. It is just inches off her personal-best all-time and earned her fourth at the meet today. Virginia short sprinters Talia Wise and Galyn Iloka also hit season-best marks on the flat 200 track at Clemson

Both the men and the women stand in seventh place overall and stand to pick up a number of places with some of the ACC’s top performers competing for the Cavaliers as the ACC Indoor Championships wrap up at Clemson.

WOMEN: 60m: Janne’a Bridgeford, 7.71; Talia Wise, 7.73; Tiffany Roberts, 7.78; Galyn Iloka, 7.83; 200m: Galyn Iloka, 24.84; Talia Wise, 24.84; 400m: Erin Crawford, 55.62; 800m: Susan Brooks, 2:14.61; Huma Husain, 2:15.03; Ayla Smith, 2:15.04; Jen Hovland, 2:19.03; Mile: Janine Ricci, 5:01.44; Sara Casscells, 5:01.87; Jen Dolson, 5:06.42; Lauretta Dezubay, 5:07.45; Suzanne Ginnow, 5:16.21; 5000m: Kara Scanlin, 16:47.58, 6th; Emily Harrison, 17:06.13; Katie Read, 17:20.76; Stephanie Garcia, 17:25.38; 60m Hurdles: Ayla Smith, 8.68; Lauren Echko, 8.72; Erin Crawford, 8.75; Bianca Debartolo, 8.79; DMR: 11:48.96, 7th; WT: Alexa Manning, 15.50m (50′ 10.25″); Amy Bilmanis, 14.52m (47′ 7.75″); LJ: Tomika Ferguson, 6.00m (19′ 8.25″), 4th ; Katie Tershel, 5.64m (18′ 6″); PV: Kathryn Pettine, 3.60m (11′ 9.75″);

MEN: 60m: Reuben Jones, 6.89; 400m: Brian Lee, 50.64; LeAndre Sherrill, 51.23; 800m: Alex Tatu, 1:52.42; Jordan Orr, 1:53.49; Kevin McHale, 1:53.29; Alex Bowman, 1:56.86; Mile: Kevin McHale, 4:11.64; Andrew Jesien, 4:11.67, Alex Tatu, 4:11.83; Steve Finley, 4:20.61; Danny Howick, 4:29.52; 5000m: Andrew Dumm, 14:25.02, 5th; Andy Biladeau, 14:27.45, 6th; Ryan Foster, 14:50.17; Trey Miller, 14:53.29; Matt Gambale, 14:55.99; Taylor Smith, 15:00.34; DMR: 9:52.74, 2nd; LJ: Shadion Buckley, 6.52m (21′ 4.75″), Reuben Jones, 6.11m (20′ .5″); HJ: Arthur Gennari, 2.03m (6′ 8″);

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