Cavaliers Travel to Three Meets This Weekend

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.-The Virginia men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams split up this weekend for the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., April 26-28 and the Highlander Invitational in Radford, Va., on Saturday (April 28). Junior Morgane Gay (Bethesda, Md.) will compete in the 1,500 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., on Sunday (April 29).

Live results for all three meets will be linked through VirginiaSports.com. Links to the video streams for the Penn Relays (subscription based) and the Payton Jordan Invitational (free) will also be linked through VirginiaSports.com.

Last Time Out: Virginia hosted the ACC Championships last weekend (April 19-21) at newly renovated Lannigan Field. The Cavalier women placed second, their highest finish since 1995, while the men, who entered the USTFCCCA national rankings at No. 23 this week, claimed third.

Freshman Nick Vena (Morristown, N.J.) was named the ACC Men’s Most Valuable Field Performer after winning both the shot put and the discus throw. His shot put mark of 19.51m (64′ 0.25″) was a new school record and ranks fifth in the nation.

Senior Marcus Robinson (Richmond, Va.) opened his 2012 outdoor campaign with gold in the triple jump, breaking UVa’s 26-year old record with a distance of 16.40m (53′ 9.75″), the third-best mark in the country.

Fellow senior Lance Roller (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) earned two gold medals, winning the 800 meters in a time of 1:47.82 (11th-best in the nation) and was a part of the 4×400 relay that won in a time of 3:08.80.

On the women’s side, senior Catherine White (Roanoke, Va.) claimed gold in the 10,000 meters in a time of 33:51.23, while fellow senior Erin Wykoff (St. Jacob, Ill.) earned a win in the discus with a mark of 53.23m (174′ 8″). Gay took home silver in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters.

Next Up: The Cavaliers are off next weekend before hosting the Virginia Challenge May 12 at Lannigan Field.