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 27) through Saturday (March 29).
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: 9:30 a.m. (Men’s Javelin)
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 three facility records and three meet records in the last four years. Margot Appleton broke the facility record in the 1500-meters and Ashley Anumba set the meet record in the discus in 2023 while Michaela Meyer set the facility and meet record in the 800-meters in 2021. Last season, Appleton broke the meet and facility record in the 5000-meters.
Last season, Will Anthony, Gary Martin, Jenny Schilling and Appleton all set Virginia program records in North Carolina. Anthony made a statement winning the men’s 10,000-meters in 28:21.93 to break the program record by nearly 20 seconds. Martin shattered the Virginia record in the men’s 5000-meters with a kick in the final 100-meters of the race to cross the line in 13:31.51. Martin led his teammate Nate Mountain below the previous school record with his time of 13:32.65.
On the women’s side, Schilling took down the 36-year-old school record in the 10,000-meters with her time of 32:44.19. Not only setting the meet and facility record, Appleton also broke the Virginia record in the women’s 5000-meters stopping the clock at 15:18.21.
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 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 27) and run through Saturday (March 29). Virginia will look to continue its lineage of success in Raleigh.
Up Next:
Virginia will host the second of four meets at Lannigan Field this season with the Virginia Grand Prix on Friday (April 4) and Saturday (April 5).