Boyd Wins 10,000m on First Day of ACC Championships

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May 13, 2016

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Virginia junior Cleo Boyd won the 10,000 meters to highlight the UVA women’s track and field team’s first day at the ACC Outdoor Championships Friday (May 13) at Mike Long Track in Tallahassee, Fla.

After one day of action, the Cavaliers sit in first place with 16 points, followed by Syracuse and Miami with 15, Duke (14) and Virginia Tech (11.1).

Boyd (Kingston, Ontario) captured the 10,000m title in a time of 34:29.60. Going into the final lap, Boyd was second right behind Malone, but made a move in the first turn and never looked back, winning by over eight seconds. Sophomore Megan Rebholz (Stafford, Va.) finished eighth in 35:43.90.

“Going into the last lap I knew I had more left in me, but I didn’t know how much it was going to take to win,” Boyd said. “When I made my move, I gave it everything I had left and did not look back. When I was about 50 meters from the line, I knew I had won and those last few steps were so much fun.”

“Cleo and Megan ran with great composure in their first 10Ks ever on the track,” UVA distance coach Todd Morgan said. “They both stayed patient early and put the pressure on late. I’m very excited to see Cleo running towards her potential and winning her first ACC title.”

“I could not be more proud of her,” UVA director of track and field/cross country Bryan Fetzer said. “She has battled back from so much adversity. Her workouts were predictive of the potential for success, but you have to actually make it happen in a race. Some people can not do it, but Cleo did.”

In the pole vault, sophomore Bridget Guy (Greensburg, Pa.) placed fourth with a height of 4.06m (13′ 3.75″).

The Cavaliers had second and third-best times in the prelims of the 400m hurdles. Graduate student Aisha Naibe-Wey (London, England) won her heat in 58.87, which ranks fifth on UVA’s all-time list, while junior Heather Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) recorded a PR of 59.18, which ranks eighth. Both will run in the final on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Senior Peyton Chaney (Belleville, Ill.) qualified for the finals in the 200 meters on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. after winning her heat in a time of 23.88.

In the 1,500 meters, graduate student Sarah Astin (Isle of Man, Great Britain) qualified for the final on Sunday at 5:20 p.m. with a time of 4:29.30.

Freshman Alana Herran (Orange, N.J.) is currently in eighth place after the first day of the heptathlon. Herran recorded season-best marks in all four events, 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 meters.

“We had a great day overall, probably the best championship day since I’ve been at UVA,” Fetzer said. “A lot of scoring opportunities were established today for Sunday. Cleo, Megan and Bridget coming up big on the first night really sets the tone for the meet.”

The ACC Outdoor Championships continue Saturday (May 14) with action beginning at 10 a.m. ESPN3 will have a live broadcast from 6-9:30 p.m.