Virginia Closes Competition at Fred Hardy Invitational
RICHMOND, Va.- The Virginia men’s track and field team closed the Fred Hardy Invitational at the Paul Derr Track & Field Facility in Richmond, Va., on Saturday (March 30).
“Both meets (Fred Hardy Invitational and Raleigh Relays) were productive on various levels and served their purpose at this time of the season,” director of track and field Bryan Fetzer said. “We secured a few NCAA qualifiers in the 10k and others posted PBs (personal bests). It’s all about the preparation and learning for the championships in May and June at this point.”
The 400m dash highlighted the day as sophomore Brandon Outlaw (Moorestown, N.J.), sophomore Jordan Willis (Williamsburg, Va.) and senior Jake Dixon (Falmouth, Maine) recorded the top three times, respectively, in the event. Outlaw led the race, running a time of 48.10, while Willis followed with a time of 48.88 and Dixon finished third with a time of 49.07.
Freshman Ayende Watson (Baltimore, Md.) recorded the top jump in the long jump. He captured a wind assisted jump of 7.25m (23’9.25″) with his second attempt to win the event.
In the 100m dash, Willis ran a time of 11.08 to finish second, while Outlaw placed third with a career-best time of 11.17.
The Cavaliers concluded the meet with the three UVA runners finishing in the top five of the 3000m. Sophomore Ryan Buscaglia (Richmond, Va.) led the team with a second-place finish and a time of 8:31.54. Freshman Derek Johnson (Leesburg, Va.) placed fourth in the event with a time of 8:34.44, while freshman Peter Morris (Hamilton, Va.) placed fifth with a time of 8:35.85.
“We are really excited to be at home from this point until NCAAs,” Fetzer said. “There are so many advantages and positives. We look forward to taking advantage of all of them over the coming weeks.”
The meet was the last regular season competition on the road for the Cavaliers, who are ranked 29th in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. Virginia will close the remainder of the season at home, beginning with a home meet against Maryland and Pitt on April 6.