Trio of Cavaliers Earn ACC Athlete of the Week Honors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday (Feb.20) that Caroline Dannenbaum, Ariel Fletcher and Michael Koepke of the Virginia track and field program earned ACC Athlete of the Week status after a strong performance this weekend.

At the Virginia Tech Challenge, junior Dannenbaum cleared a new indoor personal-best 3.95m (12’ 11.5”) in the women’s pole vault to earn ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. The Bernardsville, N.J. native moved up to number nine all-time in program history and is currently tied for 11^th in the ACC. This marks Dannenbaum’s first conference honor this indoor season.

Cavalier sprinters in Fletcher and Koepke swept the ACC Rookie of the Week honors. At the Virginia Tech Challenge, Fletcher recorded a new personal-best in the 400m clocking 56.59 to finish second. Her time ranks sixth among freshman in the conference this season. On the second day of competition, the Virginia Beach, Va. native recorded a season-best 24.97 in the 200m. Her time is the fourth-fastest by a Cavalier in the event this season and ranks in the top-10 among freshman in the ACC.

Koepke ran two new personal-bests in as many days in Blacksburg, Va. The Charlotte, N.C. native equaled his personal-best 7.02 in the prelim of the 60m dash before improving his time in the final, crossing the line in 6.99. In the 200m dash, Koepke ran 22.17 to set another personal-best and rank sixth among freshman in the conference this season.

Dannenbaum, Flethcer and Koepke join Margot Appleton and Celia Rifaterra as the five Cavaliers to earn ACC weekly honors this indoor track & field season.

Virginia ACC Weekly Award Winners

Up Next
Virginia will be back in action when the team travels to Boston, Mass. for the Indoor ACC Championships Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 22-24).