Hock Shines on Final Day of Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite

BLACKSBURG, Va. — The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field program opened competition at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite meet on Friday (Feb. 2) at Rector Field House where Heldi Valikaj cracked the UVA all-time performance list in the men’s long jump to lead the Cavaliers on day one.

Hock Impresses Over 800 Meters

• In the women’s 800 meters, Maggie Hock led the Cavaliers with a runner-up finish clocking a blistering 2:05.25. The mark stands as the second-fastest in UVA history trailing only Esther Seeland for the school record.
• Keara Seasholtz finished eighth in the event clocking 2:09.60.
• Myles Plummer placed fourth on the men’s side of the event posting a time of 1:52.13
• In the women’s mile, Ellie Desmond placed third clocking a time of 4:47.08

Cavaliers Go 1-2 in High Jump

• In the women’s high jump, Celia Rifaterra took the victory clearing a mark of 1.80 meters (5′ 10.75″) to record her second victory of the season.
• Following Rifaterra in second place was Carly Tarentino who cleared 1.72 meters (5′ 7.75″).

Romano Hits Personal-Best

• In the women’s pole vault, UVA sophomore Sam Romano placed fifth in the pole vault and third among collegians clearing a mark of 4.24 meters (13’ 11”)
• With the performance, Romano set an indoor best while improving her standing at No. 2 on the UVA all-time indoor performance list. She betters a mark of 4.20 meters (13’ 9.25”) which she set at the ACC Indoor Championships in 2022.
• Romano is now just over six inches away from the Virginia indoor pole vault record trailing Bridget Williams (Guy) at 4.41 meters (14’ 5.5”). Williams vaulted at the event, taking a victory in the competition.

Akpan Leads Sprinters

• Running in the women’s 200 meters, Sarah Akpan led the Cavaliers with a third-place finish clocking a time of 24.63.
• On the men’s side of the 200 meters, Jaden Lyons and Jay Pendarvis recorded fourth-place finishes in their heats.

Frasier Finishes Sixth in Heptathlon

• Virginia’s David Frasier ended the first day of competition in the men’s heptathlon in eighth place after accumulating 2,873 points in the first four events.
• Frasier was off to a hot start on the second day of competition as he outpaced the competition in the 60-meter hurdles running 8.15 to bag 944 points from the event. Following the pole vault and 1000 meters, Frasier ended the competition with 5,110 points to place sixth overall.

Up Next
The Cavaliers will be back in action next week when the team will send groups to compete at the Eagle Elite Invitational (Boston, Mass.), David Hemery Valentine Invitational (Boston, Mass.) and Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.) on Friday (Feb. 9) and Saturday (Feb. 10).