Chiariello Breaks School Weight Throw Record at Penn State

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-Senior Vincenzo Chiariello (Staten Island, N.Y.) broke the Wahoo record for the men’s weight throw as the Virginia men’s and women’s track and field began competition at the Penn State National Invitational Friday (Jan. 27) at the Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.

Chiariello finished fifth with a mark of 19.38m (63’7″), topping his previous best throw of 18.88m (61’11.5″), set on Feb. 4, 2011.

“What we talked about this week was getting better every day and taking advantage of opportunities,” Cavalier director of track and field/cross country Bryan Fetzer said. “Today, we did that and capitalized on those opportunities.”

Senior Maureen Laffan (Toms River, N.J.) set a personal best and earned second in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 18.54m (60’10”), the second-best throw in school history. Senior Erin Wykoff (St. Jacob, Ill.) also set a personal mark of 17.75m (58’3″), earning fourth and ranking third in UVa history.

The men’s distance medley relay squad of sophomore Anthony Kostelac (Charlottesville, Va.), senior Kevin Anding (Houston, Texas), junior Lance Roller (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and senior Mark Amirault (Walpole, Mass.) placed second in 9:42.97.

In the women’s distance medley relay, the team of junior Rosemary Barber (Springfield, Va.), senior Meagan Gillespie (Brooklyn, N.Y.), sophomore Vanessa Fabrizio (Denver, Colo.) and junior Morgane Gay (Bethesda, Md.) finished fourth in 11:34.34.

Sophomore Anna Finger (Berlin, Germany), a mid-year transfer making her Virginia debut, placed sixth in the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.72m (18’9.25″).

In the men’s pole vault, junior Matthew Armentrout (Glen Allen, Va.) finished sixth with a mark of 4.60m (15’1″).

Freshman Christian Lavorgna (Sparta, N.J.) is in ninth in the heptathlon with 2,337 points after setting season-best times in all four day-one events (60m, long jump, shot put and high jump).

Action continues Saturday (Jan. 28) at 10 a.m.