Virginia Announces Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Schedule
Nov. 2, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams announced their 2017-18 schedule on Thursday (Nov. 2). The Cavaliers will compete at nine indoor and nine outdoor competitions, including three home meets at Lannigan Field.
Indoor Season
The Cavaliers will compete in seven consecutive weekends of competition, starting the season at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational (Iowa City, Iowa) on Jan. 19-20. Virginia will compete at the Darius Dixon Memorial (Lynchburg, Va.) on Jan. 27, followed by the Power 5 Invite (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Feb. 2-3. On Feb. 9-10, Virginia will send split squads to both the Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.) and the Valentine’s Invitational (Boston, Mass.) before rounding out the regular-season schedule at the UCS Invitational (Winston Salem, N.C.) and the Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.) on Feb. 17.
The ACC Indoor Championships will be held Feb. 22-24 in Clemson, S.C., while the NCAA Indoor Championships will take place March 9-10 in College Station, Texas.
“This will be the most challenging indoor schedule we’ve had since I’ve been at UVA,” said director of track and field and cross country Bryan Fetzer. “We are excited to compete at some new venues and against the nation’s best.
The men’s team tied for 16th at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships. Senior Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) earned All-America honors. Efekoro recorded first-team All-America honors after finishing third in the shot put, while Scott finished 10th in the triple jump. Scott was a second-team All-America honoree.
Outdoor Season
Virginia will open the outdoor season March 16-17 at the Hurricane Invitational (Miami, Fla.) before competing at the Raleigh Relays (Raleigh, N.C.) on March 30 and the Fred Hardy Invitational (Richmond, Va.) March 30-31.
The Cavaliers will return home for three home meets in the month of April, beginning with a quad meet against Maryland, Bucknell and Georgetown on April 7. Virginia will host the seventh annual Virginia Challenge April 20-21, while the Virginia Grand Prix will be held on April 28.
“A real advantage in our schedule is to be at home the entire month of April,” Fetzer said. “As the stresses of the semester increase and travel starts to wear on individuals, it is great to have the opportunity to sleep in our own beds and be in familiar surroundings. I truly believe it has helped during the championship phase of the season.
“The fan support at the Virginia Challenge has been amazing. It is unlike any track and field meet you have ever been to with community races, a DJ, bucket drummers, etc. We want it to be an event that has an atmosphere like nothing else in our sport.”
Last year’s home competitions set six Lannigan Field records, with four of the new standards occurring at the Virginia Challenge. The Cavaliers welcomed over 50 teams at the Virginia Challenge with a combined seven men’s and women’s programs holding national rankings in the top 10. Additionally, the Virginia Challenge saw 10 performances set meet records.
The ACC Outdoor Championships will be held in Miami, Fla., May 10-12, followed by the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Tampa, Fla., May 24-26 and the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 6-9.
The Cavalier men posted a program-best third-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Efekoro finished fourth in the shot put, while sophomore Hilmar Jonsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) finished fourth in the hammer. Both student-athletes earned first-team All-America honors.
Christine Bohan (Class of 2017) represented the women’s team at the NCAA Championships, where she was a second-team All-America honoree in the shot put with an 11th-place finish.
INDOOR
DATE EVENT
January 19-20 (Fri.-Sat.) Larry Wieczorek Invitational (Iowa City, Iowa)
January 27 (Sat.) Darius Dixon Memorial (Lynchburg, Va.)
February 2-3 (Fri.) Power 5 Invite (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
February 9 (Fri.) Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.)
Valentine’s Invitational (Boston, Mass.) — WOMEN
February 10 (Sat.) Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.)
Valentine’s Invitational (Boston, Mass.) – MEN
February 17 (Sat.) UCS Invitational (Winston Salem, N.C.) — Relays only
February 17 (Sat.) Alex Wilson Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
February 22-24 (Thur.-Sat.) ACC Championships (Clemson, S.C.)
March 9-10 (Fri.-Sat.) NCAA Indoor Championships (College Station, Texas)
OUTDOOR
DATE EVENT
March 16-17 (Fri.-Sat.) Hurricane Invitational (Miami, Fla.)
March 30 (Fri.) Raleigh Relays (Raleigh, N.C.)
March 30-31 (Fri.-Sat.) Fred Hardy Invitational (Richmond, Va.)
April 7 (Sat.) UVA vs. Maryland, Bucknell, Georgetown (Charlottesville, Va.)
April 20-21 (Fri.-Sat.) VIRGINIA CHALLENGE (Charlottesville, Va.)
April 28 (Sat.) VIRGINIA GRAND PRIX (Charlottesville, Va.)
May 10-12 (Thur.-Sat.) ACC Championships (Miami, Fla.)
May 24-26 (Thur.-Sat.) NCAA East Preliminary Round (Tampa, Fla.)
June 6-9 (Wed.-Sat.) NCAA Championships (Eugene, Ore.)