Piazza's school-record run headlines day one of the Virginia Challenge

Senior Drew Piazza finished the 800-meter race with a school-record time of 1:46.02

April 21, 2017

After a week off from competition, the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech track and field teams picked up right where they left off, as the Hokie distance runners began competition for Tech at the Virginia Challenge Friday evening at the University of Virginia’s Lannigan Field in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Seniors Drew Piazza and Patrick Joseph headlined the Hokies’ efforts, running the 800-meter race outdoors for the first time this season. Piazza and Joseph crossed the line in third and fourth, respectively, recording new personal bests in the event. However, Piazza’s performance was slightly better, as the Danvers, Massachusetts, native finished the race with a school-record time of 1 minute, 46.02 seconds. He broke Joseph’s previous mark of 1:47.29, which was set at the 2016 ACC Championships. Joseph also clocked a time of 1:46.47 in the event – currently good enough for second on Tech’s all-time list.

In the women’s 800-meter run, senior Hanna Green recorded the Hokies’ top mark, finishing the race in 2 minutes, 2.17 seconds for the win. Sophomore Rachel Proctrasky also scored a personal best in the event, finishing fourth with a time of 2:03.87.

The Hokie men and women also earned two top-10 finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Senior Daniel Jaskowak placed ninth with a time of 9:03.09, while freshman Kayla Richardson finished seventh with a personal-best time of 10:29.85.

Junior Abigail Motley finished with a career-best mark in the women’s 10,000-meter run, finishing in 34:58.00 for fourth place overall.

In the field events, junior Collin McKenny topped his previous personal best with a 49.23-meter throw (161 ft., 6 in.) in the men’s discus.

The Hokies will conclude the Virginia Challenge tomorrow with events starting at 9 a.m. The sprinters and jumpers also will begin competition at the War Eagle Classic Saturday held at Auburn’s Hutsell-Rosen Track in Auburn, Alabama.

Lastly, Tech’s pole vaulters will travel to the Duke Invitational held at Duke University’s Morris Williams Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The men’s pole vault competition is set to begin at 3:30 p.m., while the women’s invitational is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. Of note, Saturday’s competition will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Looking ahead, the Hokies will divide and conquer yet again, continuing their outdoor season at the Penn Relays, the Radford Invitational and the Virginia Grand Prix held on April 27-29.

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

PERSONAL BESTS

800 meters

Rachel Pocratsky (2:03.87)

Laurie Barton (2:06.10)

Katie Kennedy (2:10.71)

Sarah Edwards (2:10.77)

Drew Piazza (1:46.02)

Patrick Joseph (1:46.47)

Owen Buck (1:52.91)

10,000 meters

Abigail Motley (34:58.10)

3,000-meter steeplechase

Kayla Richardson (10:29.85)

Fitsum Seyoum (9:24.72)

Discus

Collin McKenny (49.23 meters)

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