Young, Scott Lead Virginia on Final Day of Doc Hale Elite Meet
BLACKSBURG, Va. –Redshirt senior Sam Young (Lewes, Del.) cleared a height of 5.32m (17-5.5) in the pole vault at the Doc Hale Elite Meet at the Rector Field House on Saturday (Feb. 8) to set a Cavalier record and lead the Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams on the final day of competition.
In addition to topping a 15-year-old mark set by David Sullivan in 2005, Young’s performance leads the ACC and ranks 20th in the NCAA this season. He placed fifth at the meet and second among collegiate performers in the competition.
Senior Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) set a Doc Hale Elite Meet record in the triple jump at his first indoor competition of the year. The defending NCAA indoor triple jump champion reached 16.64m (54-7.25) to capture the top jump in the country by seven inches. Scott recorded three jumps over the prior NCAA leading mark of 54 feet during the series and a fourth jump beyond 53 feet.
Senior Anna Jefferson (Warren, Mich.) recorded a career-best time of 23.93 in the 200m dash to finish second in the event. Her time ties teammate Jada Seaman’s (Pikesville, Md.) performance from the Hokie Invitational as the third-fastest time in UVA history.
In the women’s pole vault, freshman Maya Maloney (Boise, Idaho) cleared a height of 3.97m (13-0.25) to tie for the second-best jump in UVA history. Her performance is also tied for the best pole vault mark in school history by a freshman. Maloney finished ninth in the event at the Doc Hale Elite Meet.
“It was a very successful weekend in Blacksburg for us,” director of track & field and cross country/associate athletics director of administration Vin Lananna said. “We sent a small group that managed to create a big presence at the meet. In total, we walked away with nine lifetime bests, two program records and a national leader.
“Sam Young competed very well in the men’s pole vault, overcoming a third-bar clearance to get an opportunity at the Virginia program record, which he would go on to break. Halle Hazzard continues to be fierce in the short sprints. I was happy to see her lower her own program record in the women’s 60m. Jordan Scott opened his season in a big way today. Three of his four jumps were farther than the previous national leader. That kind of consistency bodes well at this point in the year. Maya Maloney took a nice step forward today in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet for the first time. Anna Jefferson had a solid weekend as well, finishing top three in both the 60m and 200m. Overall, this was a very positive meet for us. We are trending in the right direction as the championship season approaches.”
Virginia will send members of the team to the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C., and the David Hemery Valentine Invite in Boston beginning on Friday (Feb. 14). Both meets will conclude on Saturday (Feb. 15).