Guy Sets Virginia Pole Vault Record at Liberty Flames Invite
LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Virginia women’s track and field team concluded action at the Liberty Flames Invite on Saturday (Feb. 2) at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex with redshirt senior Bridget Guy (Greensburg, Pa.) setting a school record in the pole vault.
Guy topped her own record, set last week during the Columbia Challenge, with a height of 4.30m (14’1.25″). The first-place performance also set a Liberty Indoor Track Complex record and ranks 14th nationally.
“We got a lot of work done today,” director of track and field Bryan Fetzer said. “Things have finally started clicking for Brittany (Jones) and Bridget (Guy) continues to improve each week, not to mention we had some solid performances in our distance groups.
“I’m pleased with the overall performance. When you combine a large amount of learning with solid performances, that bods well for the rest of the season.”
Sophomore Brittany Jones (Bloomfield, Conn.) captured a career-best mark in the shot put at 15.53m (50’11.50″), the sixth-best mark in school history and top performance at the meet.
Competing against her teammates, senior Carly Feyerabend (Mechanicsville, Va.) tied sophomore Gabrielle Hayes (Woodbridge, Va.) for the top mark in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.62m (5’3.75″). Freshman Alix Still (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) rounded out the field with a height of 1.57m (5’1.75″).
Three Hoos advance to the final of the 60m hurdles, as junior Alexis Woodley (Chesapeake, Va.) paced the field with a time of 8.53. Senior Ciara Leonard (Elkins Park, Pa.) finished third with a time of 8.62, while junior Andrenette Knight finished fourth with a time of 8.68.
In the mile, sophomore Kiera Bothwell (Springfield, Va.) led the race with a time of 4:58.35. She was followed by freshman Helena Lindsay (Yokohama, Japan) in sixth place with a time of 5:05.24, sophomore Hannah Moran (Salem, Va.) in seventh place with a time of 5:07.62 and freshman Emma Wolcott (Leesburg, Va.) in eighth place with a time of 5:10.44.
Sophomore Madelin Rennyson (Lynchburg, Va.) captured the second-best time in the 500m run, finishing with a time of 1:15.87.
Virginia recorded the top five times in the 800m run. Freshman Sydney Coppolino (Somerdale, N.J.) placed first with a time of 2:17.46, while freshman Amelia Kokernak (Niskayuna, N.Y.) finished second with a time of 2:18.80 and junior Maryanna Lansing (Menands, N.Y.) finished third with a time of 2:19.90. Redshirt sophomore Olivia Sargent (Yardley, Pa.) and freshman Nina Smolinski rounded out the top five, recording times of 2:20.72 and 2:21.74, respectively. Sophomore Mary Blankemeier (Oak Park, Ill.) added a seventh-place finish for the Cavaliers in the event, running a time of 2:26.27.
In the long jump, freshmen Mia Abulencia (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Zoe Rice (Ashburn, Va.) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Abulencia recorded a mark of 5.18m (17’0″), while Rice jump for 5.08m (16’8″).
The 4x400m relay team of Still, Smolinski, Coppolino and Lansing concluded the meet, running a time of 4:04.45 and finishing third in the event.
The team will return to action on February 8, sending a split squad to both the Tiger Paw Invite in Clemson, S.C., and the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa.