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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Friday action saw Virginia Tech split between two relay meets: the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. and the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. The Hokie sprints and hurdles group as well as some field events headed south to the University of Florida, while the distance runners stayed in-state and competed at William and Mary.
In Gainesville, Keith Ricks had another stellar weekend, taking third in the 100-meter dash (10.33) and fifth in the 200-meter dash (20.80), both of which are personal bests that rank him second all-time in the Virginia Tech record books. Funmi Alabi double-dipped on the women’s side, placing 14th in the 200-meter dash with a personal-best 24.06 while also placing 13th in the 100-meter dash (11.75). For the second weekend in a row, Hokies swept the men’s and women’s hammer throw, with Dorotea Habazin earning the women’s title (206-0, 62.80m) and Marcel Lomnicky winning the men’s competition in his outdoor season debut (240-8, 73.37m), just five feet shy of his own school record.
In Williamsburg, Hokies took three of the top six spots in the men’s 1,500 meters, with Michael Hammond leading the charge in first (3:46.97), followed by two personal-best performances by Will Mulherin in fourth (3:48.81) and Ryan Hagen in sixth (3:49.64). Three top finishers for the women all set new personal bests in their respective event: Frances Dowd in the 800 meters (11th, 2:12.00), Sammy Dow in the 1,500 meters (10th, 4:28.84) and Stephanie Cario in the 5,000 meters (18th, 17:23.00).
Events continue tomorrow, with a full slate of relay events at both sites. Hokies at the Colonial Relays are set to compete in the 4x8, 4x15 and distance medley relay, while those at the Florida Relays will run the 400 and 1,600-meter relays, as well as a handful of field events.
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