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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomores Will Mulherin and Michael Hammond both collected distance event titles on Friday to highlight the opening day of the Jessie Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio.

In the men’s 1,500-meter run, Hammond ran a Jessie Owens Stadium record time of 3:43.65 en route to a first-place finish in the event, defeating the runner-up finisher by over two seconds. Friday’s time shatters Hammond’s former personal best in the event of 3:47.12, and, coming into the weekend, the time ranks 17^th in the nation and is the top time by a Hokie this season.

Fresh off his Penn Relays title in the Olympic Development section of the men’s mile run last weekend, Mulherin won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:12.33 on Friday. The 14:12.33 is a season best for both Mulherin and the Tech men’s squad. Friday marked the Yorktown, Va., native’s second 5,000-meter crown of the year, after winning the ACC championship in the event with a time of 14:26.55 on April 16.

Sophomore Marcel Lomnicky finished third, and was the top collegiate finisher, in the men’s hammer throw. The Nitra, Slovakia, native and ACC hammer throw champion tossed 233-06 in the bronze-medal effort. On the women’s side, junior Dorotea Habazin also took third in the hammer throw with a toss of 197-11 for fifth place.

The Jessie Owens Classic continues tomorrow, beginning with the women’s long jump at 11 a.m. The first running event is the women’s 4x100-meter relay, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Results will be available on hokiesports.com.

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