Virginia Completes First Day of Virginia Tech Invitational
Blacksburg, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams concluded the opening day of the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday (Jan. 17) at the Rector Field House. During the day, Virginia topped two events and had five Cavaliers record a mark that ranks in the top-10 all-time at UVA.
“It was exciting to finally see our team in action today,” director of track & field and cross country/associate athletics director of administration Vin Lananna said. “We had some solid performances both on the track and in the field. I thought our pole vaulters and triple jumpers in particular competed well. Maya (Maloney) and Kane (Aldrich) both won their flights and brought a lot of energy to their events. Zoe (Rice) and Owayne (Owens) competed tough on the triple jump runway. Today was a solid start to our indoor season and our team is looking forward to the rest of the competition on Saturday.”
Freshmen Maya Maloney (Boise, Idaho) and Riley Larsen (Point Pleasant, N.J.) went 1-2 in the women’s unseeded pole vault, recording marks that rank on UVA’s all-time top-10 list. Maloney cleared 12’9.5″ (3.90m) to win the event and capture Virginia’s fifth-best mark in the pole vault, while Larsen jumped 12’1.5″ (3.70m) to place second and record a mark that ranks eighth all-time in school history.
In the men’s pole vault, sophomore Kane Aldrich (Naples, Fla.) won the event with a height of 16’0.75″ (4.90m), 10th-best jump in school history. Sophomore Colin Duignan (Bronxville, N.Y.) finished fifth in the event with an indoor career-best jump of 15’1″ (4.60m).
Junior Halle Hazzard (Commack, N.Y.) and senior Anna Jefferson (Warren, Mich.) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the finals of the 60m dash. Hazzard edged Jefferson at the finish as both athletes ran a time of 7.40. The time was a career-best for Jefferson, which ties her at fourth all-time in UVA history in the 60m dash.
Sophomore Zoe Rice (Ashburn, Va.) recorded a career-best jump in the women’s triple jump, reaching 40’1.5″ (12.23m) for a third-place finish. Sophomore Owayne Owens (Montego Bay, Jamaica) placed fourth in the men’s triple jump, recording a mark 51’0″ (15.54m). His jump ranks ninth all-time in UVA history.
Senior Alexis Woodley (Chesapeake, Va.) led Virginia in the women’s 60m hurdles, running a time of 8.40 in the finals to place fourth overall. Senior Andrenette Knight (Morant Bay, Jamaica) placed seventh in the finals with a time of 8.67.
Knight followed her run in the 60m hurdles with a third-place finish in the 500m. She captured a time of 1:13.81.
Jefferson added a second-place finish in the 300m, running a time of 38.07, while Hazzard finished sixth with a time of 39.10. Junior Jordan Willis (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Cavalier men in the 300m, placing third with a time of 33.62. Junior Brandon Outlaw (Moorestown, N.J.) placed fifth in the event with a time of 33.96.
The Cavaliers will return on Saturday for day two of the Virginia Tech Invitational. Events will begin at 11 a.m. at the Rector Field House.