Cavaliers Announce Men's Recruiting Class

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante has announced the commitment of 11 athletes to join the reigning men’s ACC Cross Country and co-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Champions for the 2009-10 season.

The group consists of Robby Andrews (Englishtown, N.J.), Matthew Armentrout (Glen Allen, Va.), Taylor Gilland (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Robert Guider (Danbury, Conn.), T.J. Hobart (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Brett Johnson (Ocean City, N.J.), Bryan Lewis (Roanoke, Va.), Luke Noble (Charlottesville, Va.), Austin Von Ohlsen (Ridgefield, Conn.), Zack Vrhovac (Charlottesville, Va.) and David Wilson (Brookline, Mass.).

“This incoming class is a result of a great university, exciting performances from this year’s team and a vision for our team to enjoy success in the future,” Vigilante said. “It took an entire team effort to sign these outstanding individuals. From the current student-athletes to the coaching staff, the academic support office and our administrators, everyone had a hand in it. We’re so excited to welcome these newcomers to Grounds and have them wear the orange and blue.”

Robby Andrews, the national high school indoor and outdoor champion in the 800m, holds indoor national records in the 800m and 1000m. A graduate of Manalapan High School, Andrews became the first high school athlete to ever break 1:50 in the 800m and finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in the event. He owns a personal-best time of 1:48.66 in the 800m and is ranked third nationally in the mile, establishing a personal-best of 4:03.49.

Matthew Armentrout is a top high school scholar-athlete from Deep Run High School. Armentrout used a personal-best clearance of 15’ 9” to win the National Scholastic Indoor Pole Vault Championship this March. He then matched the same height to win his second-straight state title in the event during the outdoor season.

Taylor Gilland will help supplement Virginia’s distance corps. Coming from Chapel Hill High School, Gilland was a three-time state champion in cross country. He was also a three-time state champion on the track in the 3200m. He has run personal-bests of 4:10.38 in the mile and 9:01.68 in the 3200m.

Robert Guider owns personal-bests of 184’ 8” in the hammer throw and 69’ 7.25” in the weight throw. A high school All-American while at Danbury High School, Guider was the New England weight throw champion.

T.J. Hobart was the Pennsylvania state 1600m runner-up while competing for Baldwin High School and owns a personal-best of 4:12.09 in the event. As a member of the 4x800m and 4x400m relays, he has run splits of 1:52.2 in the 800m and 47 seconds in the 400m.

Brett Johnson, a graduate of Ocean City High School, will add versatility for the Cavaliers in the shorter distance events. The 2008 New Jersey 1600m champion, he was also a 2008 Foot Locker national high school cross country qualifier. He finished runner-up to Andrews in the mile at the Millrose Games and won the league and sectional championships in the 1600m this year. He has established a personal-best of 4:08.51 in the mile.

A Hidden Valley High School graduate, Bryan Lewis will work with the Cavaliers’ strong contingent of middle distance runners. Lewis has posted a personal-best of 4:16.03 in the mile and earned all-state honors in the 1600m.

Luke Noble and Zack Vrhovac are local graduates from Albemarle High School and were teammates on the national indoor and outdoor high school record-breaking 4x800m relay teams. Noble, primarily a mile runner, has recorded a personal-best time of 4:19.79 in the event and finished runner-up at the Northwest Region Championship in the 1600m. He also finished eighth at the state cross country championships.

Vrhovac owns a personal-best time of 1:52.82 in the open 800m and a 4:11 mark in the mile. He won the district and state championships in the 800m this spring and was the state runner-up in the 1600m.

Austin Von Ohlsen comes to the Cavaliers from Ridgefield High School. He will use his personal-best times of 22.48 in the 200m and 48.98 in the 400m to help the long sprints unit.

David Wilson, a graduate of Brookline High School, claimed personal-bests of 9:19 in the two mile and 15:10 in the 5k during cross country. He finished seventh in the 2007 Nike team nationals and the 2008 Massachusetts two mile state championship.

**Photos of incoming Cavaliers listed alphabetically from the top down

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