Cavaliers Set Personal Bests on Day 1 of Virginia Grand Prix and Bryan Clay Invitational

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field programs started a strong weekend of competition at the 2024 Virginia Grand Prix at Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, Va. Friday (April 12) as ten Cavaliers recorded personal bests.

Ethan Robinson and David Frasier Ahead of Competition in the Decathlon

• Ethan Robinson and David Frasier went 1-2 in the 100m crossing the line in 10.59 (+4.3) and 10.87 (+4.3).
• In the second event of the competition, Robinson and Frasier took the top two spots with Robinson leaping out 7.11m/23-4 (+4.3) while Frasier recorded a mark of 7.02m/23-0.50 (+1.9).
• Frasier bested the field in the shot-put throwing for 12.54m/41-1.75. Robinson rounded out the top three finishers with his mark of 11.99m/39-4.
• In the high jump, Robinson and Frasier recorded the third 1-2 finish of the day with Robinson in first clearing 1.97m/6-5.50 followed by Frasier in second clearing 1.91m/6-3.14.
• Robinson did not take his foot off the gas in the final event of the day, crossing the line in 49.36 for 400m. Battling to the line, Frasier finished third and second among collegiate athletes with his time of 51.56.
• After the first day, Robinson leads the competition with 4020 points while Frasier sits 206 points behind his teammate in second with 3814 points.

Fierce in the Field

• John Fay finished second in the men’s hammer throw, throwing for 66.31m/217-6 on his first throw of the competition.
• On his fifth attempt, Jacob Lemmon threw for 60.28m/197-9 to finish fourth overall.
• Justin Rogers cleared 4.90m/16-0.75 on his third attempt to finish runner-up in the men’s pole vault.
• On his second attempt at the height, Tyler Lynch cleared season-best 4.60m/15-1 to finish fourth overall.
• Recording a personal-best in as many meets, Sebastian Phillips cleared 4.45m/14-7.25 on his second attempt in the men’s pole vault to finish fifth.
• The trio of Samantha Romano (4.14m/13-7), Gabriella Recce (3.84m/12-7.25) and Hanne Bortlap (3.84m/12-7.25) went 1-2-3 in the women’s pole vault. Recce cleared a season-best in second place.

Going the Distance                 

• Caroline Timm finished third in the women’s 1500m crossing the line in 4:21.24 followed by Ellie Desmond in fourth place with a season-best time of 4:21.84.
• While third and fourth overall, Timm and Desmond finished top among collegiate athletes in the completion.
• The trio of Gillian Bushee (4:30.69), Keara Seasholtz (4:31.28) and Lila Fenner (4:33.48) recorded new personal bests for 1500 meters.
• Luci Ilnicki-Lambert recorded a season-best 4:43.57 in the second heat of competition.
• In the men’s 1500m, Jack Eliason (3:50.68) and Jacob Hunter (3:54.68) finished in the top-5 in second and fifth respectively. Eliason battled to the finish only getting eclipsed in the final 50 meters to take second.
• In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Lizzy Bader ran a nine second season-best in a solo race crossing the line in 10:50.73.

Cavaliers Remain Poised in Pursuit

• The women’s javelin saw as many personal-best marks as women entered in the field.
• Brooke Lumpkin bested the field on her fourth throw of the competition with her mark of 41.40m/135-10.
• Abigail Meckes finished runner-up to her teammate Lumpkin, throwing for new personal-best 38.78m/127-3 on her second to last attempt.
• On her fifth throw, Siobhan Loughney threw for a new personal-best 37.73m/123-9 to finish fourth overall.
• In the men’s javelin, Tyler Zawatski (61.59m/202-0) and Thomas Dickinson (200-7) rounded out the top five finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Dickinson recorded a season-best on his final throw of the competition.

Day 1 in the Heptathlon

• In her first multievent of the season, freshman Elsa Spoor sits in fifth place with 2659 points after the first day of competition.
• Spoor started the day clocking 16.64 (+2.6) in the 100m hurdles which was good for 638 points.
• In the second event of the day, Spoor bested the competition in the high jump clearing 1.66m/5-5.25 to earn 806 points. She cleared all but one height on her first attempt before knocking the bar down at 1.69m/5-6.50.
• Rounding out the first day, the New Vernon, N.J. native threw for 8.37m/27-5.50 in shot put before crossing the line in 26.06 in the 200m.

Showing Speed in the Sprints

• Peter Djan and Brook’Lyn Drakeford recorded season-best times in the 110m/100m hurdles. Djan finished second crossing the line in 14.10 (+3.0) in the men’s 110m hurdles while Drakeford clocked 14.76 (+2.8) to finish sixth in the women’s 100m hurdles.
• Elizabeth Imoh rounded out the top-5 finishers in the women’s 100m hurdles with her time of 14.48 (+2.8).
• Jeremiah Wilson rounded out the top-5 finishers in the men’s 110m hurdles finishing fourth in 14.37 (+3.0).
• The men’s 4x100m relay recorded a season-best 40.92 to finish second overall.

Anna Workman at the Bryan Clay Invitational

• Anna Workman ran a huge personal-best in the women’s 5000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. Friday night. Workman crossed the line in 16:00.80 to finish 19th in the second invitational section.
• Workman shaved nearly one minute off her best which previously stood at 16:52.95 from the 2023 ACC Outdoor Championships.
• The Kingston, Ontario native now ranks fourth all-time in Virginia program history and top-10 in the conference this season at number eight.

Up Next
The Cavaliers are back in action tomorrow, Saturday (April 13) for the second day of competition at the Virginia Grand Prix at Lannigan Field  in Charlottesville, Va. and Bryan Clay Invitational at Cougar Stadium in Azusa, Calif.