Cavaliers Start Outdoor Season Strong at Virginia Opener

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —  The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field program closed out a strong weekend of competition at the 2024 Virginia Opener at Lannigan Field on Saturday (March 23) as 12 new personal-best marks were set.

Cavaliers Sweep 1500 Meters

• Maggie Hock led the way in the women’s 1500m race crossing the line in 4:26.22 just ahead of teammates Elizabeth Bader (4:28.49) and Ellie Desmond (4:29.29) in second and third respectively.
• Katie Dorsey recorded new personal-best 4:31.99 to finish fourth.
• Jacob Hunter led the charge for the men clocking 3:51.35 to out lean Andrew Jones’ 3:51.44. Shane Cohen rounded out the top-three in 3:54.56.

Sarah Akpan and Evans White IV Each Win Pair of Events

• Sarah Akpan secured the victory in the women’s 100m clocking 11.41 (+3.6) before winning the 200m in 24.58 (+1.7).
• Evans White IV recorded as many personal bests as event wins. White IV bested the field in the 400m crossing the line in 47.69 and in the 200m in 21.94.
• Also in the 200m dash, underclassman Ariel Fletcher and Jaden Lyons rounded out the top-three as the two both finished third respectfully. Fletcher crossed the line in 25.84 while Lyons recorded 22.15.

Virginia Throwers Remain Poised in Competition

• Abigail Meckes and Siobhan Loughney went 1-2 in the women’s javelin throw. Meckes threw for 37.31m/122-5 while Loughney landed at the 36.88m/121-0 mark.
• Tyler Zawatski and Thomas Dickinson went 1-2 in the men’s javelin throw. Zawatski launched one out 62.89m/206-4 on his second throw of the competition while Dickinson threw for 54.75m/179-7 on his first throw of the competition.
• Multi-event athlete and freshman David Frasier threw for a new personal-best mark of 50.10m/164-4 in the men’s javelin.
• Junior Brooke Lumpkin took the top spot in the women’s shot-put throwing for 14.92m/48-11.50.
• The 2024 Indoor ACC weight throw silver medalist, Jacob Lemmon won the men’s hammer throw. With all his marks surpassing 60m, Lemmon threw for 63.50m/208-4 on his final throw to win the competition.

Vaulting to New Heights

• Justin Rogers won the men’s pole vault competition in new personal-best 5.02m/16-5.50. Rogers cleared the bar on his third attempt at the height and remains ranked eighth all-time in program history.
• Led by Rogers, Tyler Lynch cleared 4.47m/14-8 to finish second. In his outdoor Virginia debut, freshman Sebastian Phillips cleared 4.32m/14-2 to finish third.
• The 2024 Indoor ACC Bronze Medalist, Samantha Romano cleared 4.13m/13-6.50 to best the field. Romano cleared four of the six heights on her first attempt and two heights on her second attempt.
• Seniors Gabrielle Recce and Hanne Borstlap rounded out the top-three for the Cavaliers. Recce cleared 3.43m/11-3 on her first attempt before recording three misses at 3.48m/11-5. Similarly, Borstlap cleared 3.38m/11-1 on her first attempt before knocking the bar down at 3.43m/11-3.

Cavaliers Perform Well In The Field

• In the women’s high jump, Carly Tarentino was the only athlete to clear 1.73m/5-8. Freshman duo of Grace Flynn and Elsa Spoor cleared 1.65m/5-5 to round out the top-three finishers in the competition.
• Virginia took the top three spots in the women’s long jump as Mahkaia Lee leapt out 6.09m/19-11.75 (+1.2). Jordan Hardy (5.90m/19-4.25, +1.8) and Gabriella Reece (5.59m/18-4.25) finished second and third respectively.

Sprinters Handle Business

• Jeremiah Wilson and Peter Djan went 1-2 in the men’s 110 hurdles. Both recorded new personal bests as Wilson crossed the line first in 14.20 followed by Djan in 14.26. Wilson’s time ranks seventh all-time in Virginia history and Djan ranks tenth. Djan also won the men’s 100m dash in a new personal-best time of 10.67 to rank nineth all-time at UVA.
• In the women’s 100m hurdles, freshman Elizabeth Imoh finished second in 14.42 and sophomore Sophia Akpan recorded 14.56 for third.
• Alex Sherman and Emily Alexandru led the field in the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles. Alexandru completed the race in 1:01.22 while Sherman cleared the 10 hurdles in 51.49.
• Led by Alexandru, Sophia Akpan recorded new personal-best 1:01.90 to finish second in the women’s 400m hurdles.
• The relay teams raced the clock as the men’s 4x100m relay team ran a solo 41.65 while the women ran through the line at 45.88.
• The women’s 4x400m relay team recorded a time of 3:47.56 while the men’s quartet finished in 3:17.17.

From Director of Track & Field Vin Lananna:
“This meet was a solid season opener for the team. We saw many athletes record new personal-best marks and win their respective events. Raleigh Relays next week will be another test with good competition. I am excited for what this outdoor season will bring.”

Up Next
The Cavaliers will be back in action next week as the team travels to Raleigh, N.C. for the Raleigh Relays Thursday March 28 to Saturday March 30.