Virginia Heads to Two-Day Hokie Invitational
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams will return to Rector Field House in Blacksburg, Va., this weekend (Jan. 24-25) to compete in the two-day Hokie Invitational. Multi events will kick off both days with competition beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Friday and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Admission and parking for the meet is free to the public. Parking is available in the surrounding lots at Rector Field House.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the action through live results, linked at VirginiaSports.com. Updates throughout the day will be provided on the team’s official Twitter account (@UVATFCC).
The Hokie Invitational
• The Cavaliers will return to Blacksburg for the second consecutive week to compete at the Hokie Invitational.
• Virginia will face host Virginia Tech as well as Charlotte, East Carolina, Elon, Georgetown, High Point, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T, NC State, Pitt, Radford and VCU in the weekend meet.
• The Cavaliers will have eight males and 10 females compete at the competition.
Hoos Ranked on the National Stage
• After their first week of indoor competition, the Cavaliers had three individuals capture a mark that ranks in the top-25 nationally for the 2019-20 season.
• Junior Brittany Jones (Bloomfield, Conn.) recorded a career-best mark in the shot put, reaching 15.97m (52-4.75) on her last attempt at the Virginia Tech Invitational. Her performance ties as the third-best mark in UVA history and ranks 15th in the NCAA this season.
• Senior Brenton Foster (Townsville, Australia) opened the season, clearing 2.15m (7’0.5″) in the high jump. His jump ranks 21st nationally in the event.
• With a career-best jump in the triple jump, sophomore Owayne Owens (Montego Bay, Jamaica) recorded a mark of 15.54m (51’0″). His jump placed him ninth all-time in UVA history and 22nd nationally.
• Additionally, the men’s distance medley relay team of redshirt senior Matthew Novak (Glen Allen, Va.), junior Jordan Willis (Williamsburg, Va.), senior AJ Ernst (Marblehead, Mass.) and redshirt senior Ari Klau (West Hartford, Conn.) leads the nation with a time of 9:47.33.
• The women’s DMR team of redshirt junior Olivia Sargent (Yardley, Pa.), sophomore Sydney Coppolino (Somerdale, N.J.), junior Madelin Rennyson (Lynchburg, Va.) and junior Kiera Bothwell (Springfield, Va.) ranks fifth nationally with a time of 11:43.99.
Upping the Standard
• In addition to Jones and Owens, five Cavaliers recorded marks that place on UVA’s all-time best list.
• Virginia had three pole vaulters earn a spot on the all-time list with freshmen Maya Maloney (Boise, Idaho) and Riley Larsen (Point Pleasant, N.J.) capturing marks that rank fifth and eighth, respectively. Maloney cleared a height of 3.90m (12’9.5″), while Larsen cleared 3.70m (12’1.5″). With his first jump in a Cavalier uniform, sophomore Kane Aldrich (Naples, Fla.) tied for the eighth-best pole vault mark in school history, clearing a height of 4.90m (16’0.75″).
• Senior Anna Jefferson (Warren, Mich.) ran a time of 7.40 in the finals of the 60m dash, tying for the fourth-fastest time in the event in school history.
• Junior Khyasia Caldwell (Pocono Summit, Pa.) reached 6.07m (19’11”) in the long jump, capturing the 10th-best mark in school history.