Cavaliers Open Outdoor Season With Strong Performance at Virginia Cup
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March 22, 2014
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia track and field teams opened the outdoor season Saturday with a strong performance at the Virginia Cup at Lannigan Field. The Cavalier women defeated five in-state foes while the men went 3-1 on the day.
The Cavalier women defeated Hampton, James Madison, Liberty, Norfolk State and Radford. The men downed Hampton, Norfolk State and Radford, but were edged by Liberty.
“Today was collectively the best overall performance we have had in the last two years,” said head coach Bryan Fetzer. “We were out there competing to win today, rather than just trying to run fast or jump or throw far. That produced some great results and we need to continue to do that at every meet the rest of the year.”
The women won 10 individual events on the day. Peyton Chaney (Belleville, Ill.) won the 100m in 11.78, the eighth fastest time in school history. She was also second in the 200m, posting the ninth fastest time in school history at 23.91.
Virginia had the top three in the triple jump, with Dallas Rose (Pearland, Texas), Edy Ndem (Roanoke, Va.) and Jessica Caldwell (Owings Mills, Md.) going 1-2-3. Ndem also won the long jump later in the day. Sarah DeVita (Ridgewood, N.J.) posted the sixth best mark in school history at 11’5.25″ to win the pole vault.
In the javelin, Virginia had the top two performances. Abbey Karin (Byfield, Mass.) won with a throw of 149’8″, while Caitlin Mautz (Doylestown, Pa.) entered the UVa top-10 career list at seventh with a throw of 139’9″ in her collegiate debut. In the shot put, Christine Bohan (Avon Lake, Ohio) won with a throw of 47’11.75″, the seventh best throw in school history and the second best by a freshman.
Cavalier first years took the top two spots in the women’s 2000m steeplechase with Sara Sargent (Philadelphia, Pa.) crossing first, followed by Kendall Cowne (Chantilly, Va.). Brooke Grice (Columbia, S.C.) won the 3000m, Cleo Boyd (Kingston, Ont.) won the 1500m, and Chimere Ezumah (Gardena, Calif.) won the 400m.
Virginia also won both relays, with the 4x100m relay of Rose, Andrea Wright (Chesapeake, Va.), Chaney and Jordan Lavender (Nashville, Tenn.) winning in 45.19, the third fastest time in school history. The 4x400m relay also was victorious, with Ezumah, Vanessa Fabrizio (Denver, Colo.), Wright and Lavender posting a time of 3:43.20.
The men won seven individual events. Filip Mihaljevic (Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina) made his Cavalier debut and won a pair of events. He shattered the Cavalier freshman record in the discus, throwing 197’2″, setting a new mark by almost 16 feet. It was the second-best throw in school history. He also won the shot put with a throw of 59’1.5″, the third best throw in school history.
Ryan Satchell (Central Islip, N.Y.) had the fourth best mark in school history, winning the triple jump at 51’6.5″.
Virginia dominated the distance events with the top three finishers in the 3000m and the top two in the 1500m. Thomas Madden (Front Royal, Va.), Jack St. Marie (Westlake, Ohio) and Zach Herriott (Kansas City, Mo.) finished 1-2-3 in the 3000m, while Adam Visokay (Ruckersville, Va.) and Thomas Porter (Fredericksburg, Va.) took the top two places in the 1500m. Mike Marsella (Hope Valley, R.I.) won the 800m, while fellow first-year Chris Rogers (Midlothian, Va.) took first in the long jump.
The Cavaliers will compete in a pair of meets next weekend. Virginia will send athletes to both the Raleigh Relays at NC State and the Texas Relays in Austin.