Hokies open season with four first-place finishes

Tech completed day one of the two-day invitational with 17 top-five marks

January 13, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Highlighted by Hokie distance runners and sprinters, the Virginia Tech track and field teams kicked off the 2017 season with four first-place finishes at the Virginia Tech Invitational held Friday evening at Rector Field House.

Results

On the women’s side, the Hokies’ first-team indoor All-American Hanna Green placed first in the mile, while sophomore Rachel Pocratsky and freshman Arlicia Bush were first in the 1,000-meter run and the 500-meter dash, respectively. The No. 16 men’s team followed suit with freshman Michael Davenport’s first-place finish in the 300-meter dash. Of note, the Hokies completed day one of the two-day invitational with three second-place finishes and 17 top-five marks.

“I think everyone came out strong today,” said sprints, hurdles and relays coach Tim Vaught. “Every one of the returners ran personal bests. For the freshmen to open up with two first-place finishes is great. Arlicia earned first place in the 500, and Michael finished in first in the 300. Courtney (Blanden) also ran a personal best in the 300 meters. I think it was a very good start to the season.

“I think the freshmen did an outstanding job. Mike won his first collegiate meet placing first in the 300. I thought that was amazing. It also was Arlicia’s first collegiate meet, and she got first place in the 500. I couldn’t ask for better. To me, I think they did outstanding.”

The meet started off with the 60-meter hurdles, as junior Shanel Burr and senior Aaron Simpson each qualified for the finals and added to Tech’s top-five total. Simpson and Burr placed fourth (8.27 seconds) and fifth (8.51) on the men’s and women’s sides, respectively, with senior Nora McKiver running unattached and finishing fourth with a time of 8.48.

Green led the Hokie women by running the mile in 4 minutes, 47.62 seconds to win. Wake Forest’s Ellie Abrahamson placed second (4:54.13), followed by Army’s Abby Halbrook in third (4:55.68). Sophomore Lauren Berman crossed the line narrowly behind Halbrook for fourth (4:55.88), while freshman Sarah Edwards made her Hokie debut and rounded out the top five with a time of 4:59.05.

On the men’s side, the Hokies claimed the top four spots in the mile. Senior transfer Drew Piazza, a transfer from New Hampshire, ran unattached and won the event in a time of 4:09.19. Redshirt junior Vincent Ciattei and senior Patrick Joseph followed closely behind Piazza to finish third (4:10.29) and fourth (4:13.71), respectively.

The 1,000-meter runners followed suit with three top-five finishes on the women’s side and one top-five mark on the men’s side. Pocratsky claimed Tech’s second title of the evening with a winning time of 2:50.00, followed closely by Tech freshman Laurie Barton in second with a time of 2:50.50. Senior Tessa Riley claimed the fifth spot in 2:54.41. Senior Ashkan Mohammadi also came in fourth on the men’s side with a time of 2:29.96.

The 500- and 300-meter dash wrapped up the night and two freshmen sprinters claimed first place, as they donned maroon and orange for the first time in their careers. Bush led the way in the 500-meter event, racing to a first-place finish in 1:14.09. Davenport led the men’s side with a first-place finish overall in the 300, with a winning time of 34.03 seconds. Of note, junior transfer Greg Chiles placed second in the 500 with a time of 1:03.91 in his Hokie debut.

The Virginia Tech Invitational concludes tomorrow, with field events starting at 11 a.m., followed by running events at 1 p.m. Admission is free for all fans and parking is available in the lots surrounding Rector Field House. Fans can follow @VT_Track on Twitter for updates and additional information.

Personal Bests

· Jennifer Fleming – Mile (4:59.68)

· Drew Piazza – Mile (4:09.19)

· Vincent Ciattei – Mile (4:10.04)

· Jack Joyce – Mile (4:13.71)

· Andrew Eason – Mile (4:18.25)

· Daniel Rau – Mile (4:22.88)

· Tessa Riley – 1,000m (2:54.41)

· Jada Gunran – 500m (1:17.22)

· Courtney Blanden – 300m (39.04)

· Nora McKiver – 300m (39.85)

· Jared Bane – 300m (34.99)

For updates on Virginia Tech track & field, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Track