Cavaliers Ready for Raleigh Relays
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field team gears up for the second meet of the outdoor season at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C. at the Paul Derr Track & Field Facility on the campus of NC State Thursday (March 28) through Saturday (March 30).
How to Follow
Live Results will also be available using a link posted to VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also follow the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAtfcc) for live updates.
Thursday
Events Begin: 9:15 a.m. (Women’s Shot Put)
Live Results: https://flashresults.com/
Friday
Events Begin: 9:45 a.m. (Women’s Discus)
Live Results: https://flashresults.com/
Saturday
Events Begin: 9:30 a.m. (Men’s Hammer)
Live Results: https://flashresults.com/
Fast Pace History in Raleigh
The Cavaliers have a history of fast racing at the Raleigh Relays setting two facility records and two meet records in the last three years. Margot Appleton broke the facility record in the 1500m and Ashley Anumba set the meet record in the discus last season while Michaela Meyer set the facility and meet record in the 800m in 2021.
Appleton enters this year’s Raleigh Relays after a record setting indoor season. The All-American finished fifth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships to break her own school record in 4:29.07. Appleton began her indoor campaign setting the school record in the event in 4:30.87 at the Penn State National Open. The Mattapoisett, Mass. native was also a member of the Virginia women’s distance medley relay (DMR) team that broke the school record three times this past season.
Virginia is known for dominating in the distance events as the Cavaliers took four of the top five spots in the men’s 1500m at the 2023 Raleigh Relays. Conor Murphy bested the field in personal-best 3:39.75 to out step Gary Martin in second place. Martin crossed the line in 3:40.08 to break the Virginia freshman record in the event and rank fourth all-time in program history. Fellow teammates Yasin Sado (3:40.67) and Wes Porter (3:41.57) rounded out the top-five in fourth and fifth respectively.
The four come off an impressive indoor campaign as the quartet all broke the four-minute barrier to etch their names at the top of Virginia’s all-time record list. Martin (3:54.73), Murphy (3:55.24), Sado (3:55.93) and Porter (3:56.89) are the top-four fastest indoor Virginia milers in program history. This season marked the second consecutive season where a contingent of Cavaliers broke the four-minute barrier on the same day. The four accounted for a trio of podium finishes at the ACC Indoor Championships garnering five All-ACC honors, three school records and three All-American accolades.
The 2023 Raleigh Relays also saw a meet record in the discus by Ashley Anumba. Anumba threw for 59.37m (194-9) to finish ahead of the competition. The women’s 4x100m relay team also took the top spot in the field clocking 44.49. Similarly, the 2022 Raleigh Relays were a successful outing for the Cavaliers. In his outdoor collegiate season and Raleigh Relays debut, Porter won the 1500m clocking a new personal-best time of 3:39.73. In the field, Jada Seaman jumped for 6.02m (19-9) to win the women’s long jump.
In the wake of her extraordinary 2021 season, Meyer clocked 2:02.20 to set the Paul Derr Track & Field facility and Raleigh Relays record in the women’s 800m to break the 35-year-old Virginia program record. This was only the beginning for Meyer who went on to win the ACC Championship in the 1500m (4:09.78) and the NCAA Championship in the 800m (2:00.28). Meyer’s time from the ACC Championships broke her teammate Appleton’s Paul Derr Track & Field facility record in the 1500m. While the facility record in the 800m was later bettered by Laurie Barton of Clemson at the 2021 ACC Championships, Myer still holds the Raleigh Relays meet record in the 800m and facility record in the 1500m.
Victory for the Cavaliers in Raleigh did not stop there, the women recorded three event wins while the men recorded five event wins at the 2021 relays. Andrenette Knight won the women’s 400m hurdles in a time of 58.02. Knight went on the break the Paul Derr Track & Field facility record later in the season at the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships in a personal-best time of 55.75, a record for which she still holds. Khyasia Caldwell (6.08m/19-11.50) and Jada Seaman (6.02m/19-9) went 1-2 in the women’s long jump and Maria Deaviz won the women’s shot-put throwing for 17.18m/56-4.50.
On the men’s side, Jordan Willis (46.10) and Brandon Outlaw (46.35) went 1-2 for 400 meters while two freshmen in Claudio Romero (61.50m/201-9) and Jacob Lemmon (56.31m/184-9) went 1-2 in the discus throw. Cavaliers continued to set the standard in the field with three men taking the top spot. Sam Young bested the field in the pole vault clearing 5.25m/17-2.75, Brenton Foster cleared 2.08m/6-9.75 to win the high jump competition and Owayne Owens cleared 16.29m/53-5.50 in long jump for the win.
With a rich history of successful competition at the Raleigh Relays, the Cavaliers gear up for another trip around the track this weekend at the Paul Derr Track & Field Facility. The three-day meet will begin Thursday (March 28) and run through Saturday (March 30). Virginia will look to continue its lineage of success in Raleigh.
Up Next:
Virginia will travel to High Point, N.C. to compete at the Vertklasse Meeting beginning Friday (April 5) and running through Saturday (April 6) before traveling to Azusa, Calif. for the Bryan Clay Invitational (April 11) and hosting the Virginia Grand Prix (April 12-13).