Barnett Sets School Record at NCAA Championships

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s women’s track and field team opened competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a bang when freshman stand-out Mia Barnett broke a 40-year-old record in the women’s mile at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Alabama on Friday night.

Barnett entered the women’s mile as the only true freshman in the field. The Virginia freshman-record holder pushed the pace early and led her heat at the start and into the final leg. With tenths of a second separating the top finishers, Barnett placed fifth in her heat with a time of 4:33.54 and topped a Virginia record set by Jill Haworth in 1982. The performance earns Barnett a place in tomorrow’s final where she will enter with the fifth-fastest qualifying time.

Barnett, Jada Seaman, Alahna Sabbakhan and Margot Appleton competed for the Hoos in the distance medley relay to close out the first day of competition. Virginia placed seventh in the event with a time of 11:04.88. The seventh-place finish secures first team All-American honors for the Hoos.

FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD VIN LANANNA:

“I’m really proud of all our women today. It’s a young group who are hungry and they competed hard to earn All-American tonight. We are looking forward to watching Mia run in the final tomorrow.”

Up Next:

Virginia’s two-time reigning triple jump champion, Owayne Owens will compete in the event tomorrow (March 12) at 4:45 p.m.

Barnett will compete in the finals of the women’s mile set to begin at 8 p.m. tomorrow (March 12).