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Andrews and Taye Shatter Facility Records at Liberty's Twilight Qualifier
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LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore All-American Sintayehu Taye and freshman All-American Robby Andrews each broke facility records at Liberty’s Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex on Thursday, while Virginia’s track and field team captured five other event titles at the Twilight Qualifier on Thursday.
Taye won the 1500m in 3:46.20, breaking Billy Berlin of Virginia Tech’s previous record of 3:48.63 set in 2007, while senior Alex Bowman finished runner-up in 3:46.45. Freshman Brett Johnson finished third in 3:51.83 and classmate Zach Vrhovac was fourth with a time of 3:53.07.
In the 800m, Andrews led four competitors across the line ahead of Liberty’s Chuck Lyngaas’ previous facility record set at 1:49.60 in 1997. Andrews shattered the record by edging VMI’s Felix Kitur by .05-seconds and finished with a time of 1:47.73 – Virginia’s sixth-best mark of all-time and fastest since Ben Kurgat ran 1:47.32 in 1990. The time also stands as Virginia’s second-best time put in by a freshman, trailing just former NCAA Champion Paul Ereng’s mark of 1:44.31 from 1988.
Kitur finished runner-up in the 800m with a time of 1:47.78, while sophomore All-American Lance Roller finished third in 1:48.36. Andrews’ time currently ranks second in the NCAA this season, while Roller sits ninth.
On the women’s side, junior Lyndsay Harper won the 800m in a personal-best time of 2:09.87, while senior Ariane Sloan crossed in her best-ever time of 2:10.55 for second place. Sophomore Jenni Weatherly claimed third with her best time of 2:13.60.
Other event winners include junior Sophia Coleburn, who won the shot put with a throw of 42’ 11.75”. Senior Samantha Stafford won the steeplechase, crossing in 10:56.20, while redshirt freshman Tasia Potasinski won the 1500m in 4:31.30.
Virginia’s 4x100m relay team also claimed first place, winning the title in a season-best 46.15. The Cavaliers’ quartet was composed of junior Kisha Garrick, junior Kristina Chapman, sophomore Meagan Gillespie and freshman Danielle Williams.
The duo of Garrick and Williams each also had a pair of personal bests in the 100m and 200m dashes. Garrick finished third in the prelims of the 100m in her best-ever time of 11.98, while Williams grabbed third in the finals with her best finish of 11.92.
Williams then ran her fastest 200m time, finishing second in 24.33, while Garrick had a personal-best time of 24.67 to finish third.
In the hammer throw, sophomore Vincenzo Chiariello improved his mark to second on Virginia’s all-time program records with a throw of 175’ 7”. He now trails just Bill Johnston’s throw of 190’ 11” from 2001.
Junior Brandon Carter and redshirt freshman Matt Meyer rounded out the Cavaliers with personal-best marks today, both recording their best marks in the long jump. Meyer jumped his best-ever mark of 24′ 2.25″ – the program’s 10th-best jump of all-time, while Carter leaped 23’ 2.75”.
Virginia will continue competition this weekend by sending senior Trey Miller and redshirt sophomore Ryan Collins to Stanford’s Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational on Saturday.