Virginia Challenge Set to Begin Friday at Lannigan Field

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams are set to host the third of four home meets this season as the Virginia Challenge comes to Lannigan Field on Friday (April 19) through Saturday (April 20). At the conclusion of the meet on Saturday, the Cavaliers will recognize the senior class.

How To Follow
Live results and the overall meet schedule are available at VirginiaSports.com. Updates will also be posted to the team’s official Twitter account (@UVAtfcc).
Meet Schedule
Live Results

Hoos in the Rankings
The latest USTFCCCA Track & Field Ranking Index for the 2024 outdoor season were released on Tuesday (April 15) as the women check in at No. 30 while the men check in at No.33 nationally. Additionally, 13 individuals rank in the top 25 nationally.

Men
7. Gary Martin – So., 1500m, 3:37.66
10. Gary Martin – So., 5000m, 13:31.51
11. Nate Mountain – Jr., 5000m, 13:32.65
12. Wes Porter – Jr., 1500m, 3:39.54
14. Jacob Lemmon – Jr., Discus, 59.76m/196-1
17. James Donahue – Fr., 1500m, 3:40.27
21. Will Anthony – Fr., 10,000m, 28:21.93

Women
4. Margot Appleton – Jr., 5000m, 15:18.21
8. Jenny Schilling – So., 10,000m, 32:44.19
9. Margot Appleton – Jr., 1500m, 4:11.41
16. Esther Seeland – Sr., 1500m, 4:12.64
17. Anna Workman – Sr., 1500m, 4:12.73
17. John Fay – So., Hammer, 68.41m/244-5
18. Samantha Romano – So., Pole Vault, 4.25m/13-11.25
21. Celia Rifaterra – So., High Jump, 1.79m/5-10.5

Virginia Challenge Notes

• Last season, the 2023 Virginia Challenge saw two facility records and three meet records fall.
• Ashley Anumba set the meet record in the women’s discus throwing for 58.92m/193-4.
• Ethan Dabbs set the meet record in the Javelin with his mark of 80.82m/265-2.
• Brooke Anderson (Nike/NYAC) set the facility record in the women’s hammer throwing for 79.80m/261-10.
• Virginia had nine athletes win events at the meet a season ago, six return to compete this weekend.
• Margot Appleton broke a long-standing Virginia record in the women’s 5000m with her time of 15:36.28 to cruise to a victory and surpass Margaret Groos’ record set in 1980. Appleton has since lowered the record to 15:18.21 with victory at the 2024 Raleigh Relays.
• Alex Still recorded 5662 points in the women’s heptathlon to surpass Rebecca Grube’s school record of 5512 set in 1994. Still holds the Virginia record in both the outdoor heptathlon and the indoor heptathlon which she set at the ACC Indoor Championships with her score of 4177.
• All Virginia track and field meets are certified through World Athletics.
• This weekend will feature races geared toward achieving the NCAA and Olympic Standard.
• A star-studded distance field will be highlighted by Derek Johnson, Christian Noble, Craig Nowak, Parker Stokes, Travis Mahoney and current Cavaliers in Nate Mountain and Yasin Sado.

Noting the Cavaliers This Season

• Gary Martin set the school record in the 1500m and 5000m. Martin clocked 13:31.51 for 5000m at the Raleigh Relays and most recently, Martin recorded a blistering 3:37.66 in the 1500m at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
• Margot Appleton ran a solo 15:18.21 in the women’s 5000m at the Raleigh Relays to crush her own Virginia Record.
• Jenny Schilling broke the 36-year-old school record in the women’s 10,000m crossing the line in 32:44.19 at the Raleigh Relays.
• Will Anthony took down the men’s 10,000m record with his time of 28:21.93 at the Raleigh Relays
• Alex Sherman set the Vertklasse Meeting meet record in the men’s 400m hurdles clocking 50.93.
• In his season opener, James Donahue bested the Lannigan Field facility record in 8:17.36 in the men’s 3000m at the Virginia Opener.
• Aside from school records, 11 more Cavaliers earned spots on Virginia all-time performance lists.

Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action next week at competing at the prestigious Penn Relays (April 25-27). The team will be back at home on Sunday (April 28) to host the Virginia High Performance at Lanigan Field.