Hokies travel to three prestigious meets over the weekend

Tech will have student-athletes competing in their respective events at the Texas Relays, the Florida Relays and the VertKlasse Meeting

March 30, 2017

BLACKSBURG – After a successful outdoor debut from the sprinters and throwers last weekend, the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech track and field teams will split and travel to three different meets over the weekend.

The sprinters will begin competition for the Hokies at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, presented by Spectrum, held at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The meet will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on both Friday and Saturday.

Last week, the Tech sprinters made its outdoor debut and competed at the University of South Carolina’s Weems Baskin Invitational held from March 24-25.

Freshman Michael Davenport, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Men’s Indoor Track Freshmen of the Year, had an all-star weekend, as he boasts the fastest 200-meter time (20.96) in the league as well as the second-fastest time in the 100 meters (10.51). Junior Greg Chiles also owns the second-best time in the conference in the 400-meter hurdles event, clocking a lifetime-best mark of 51.31 seconds last weekend.

Junior Courtney Blanden highlighted the Hokie women last weekend, as she boasts the top 200-meter time (23.33) in the ACC as well as the fourth-fastest time in the 400 meters (53.96). Freshman Arlicia Bush also shows the fastest 400-meter mark, clocking a career-best time of 53.29 seconds last weekend.

The Tech vaulters will round out the group at the Texas Relays on Saturday, with All-Americans Brad Johnson, Torben Laidig and Deakin Volz highlighting the field. Of note, the two-day event will mark the pole vaulters first meet of the outdoor season.

The Longhorn Network (LHN) will provide 11 hours of live coverage throughout the four-day event, including Friday and Saturday’s competition schedule. This year’s meet also will be available at espn3.com and via the WatchESPN app for smartphones and tablets for fans with a subscription to LHN from an affiliated provider. For more information on the Texas Relays click HERE.

Additionally, the Tech throwers will travel to Gainesville, Florida, for the 2017 Pepsi Florida Relays held at the University of Florida’s James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track. Junior Pavla Kuklova and freshmen Emma Thor and Kajsa Wennberg each will compete in the women’s hammer throw event held on Friday. Wennberg is scheduled to throw at noon, while Kuklova and Thor are scheduled to compete at 3 p.m. Junior Collin McKenny also will participate in the men’s discus event at 3 p.m.

Most recently, all four Hokies made their outdoor debut at the Weems Baskin Invitational held last weekend. The women claimed three of the top-five spots in the hammer throw event, as Kuklova owns a team-best mark of 62.61 meters (205 ft., 5 in.). McKenny also earned a top-five finish in the men’s discus event, throwing a distance of 48.04 meters (157 ft., 7 in.).

The SEC Network will broadcast live coverage of Friday’s competition from 12:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. ET through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. For more information on the Florida Relays click HERE.

Lastly, a contingent of Hokies’ will compete at the VertKlasse Meeting over the weekend hosted by High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. The two-day event will mark the distance runners first meet of the outdoor season, as they are scheduled to compete in both the men’s and women’s 1,500-meter race as well as the women’s 5,000-meter run on Friday.

The Tech vaulters also will round out the group at High Point’s VertKlasse Meeting on Saturday, with senior Jeffrey Linta and juniors Olivia Privitera and Hannah Meador participating in the event. Sophomore Mackenzie Muldoon and freshman James Carver also are entered into this weekend’s competition and are set to compete in their respective events.

Of note, the Big South Conference will provide a live video stream on Saturday starting with the men’s pole vault at 12:30 p.m. For more information on the VertKlasse Meeting click HERE.

Looking ahead, the Hokies will divide and conquer once again, competing at both the Tennessee Relays and the Spec Town Relays on April 7-8.

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2017 outdoor season by following the squad on Twitter and Instagram.

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