Seufer wins 5,000-meter race at Music City Challenge

The distance runner claims his first event title of the season

February 9, 2018

Tiger Paw Invitational Results | Tyson Invitational Results | Music City Challenge Results

For the second straight weekend, the Virginia Tech track and field teams split up and went to three meets, and redshirt sophomore Peter Seufer earned his first event title of the season, claiming the 5,000-meter race on Friday.

The three meets included the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson inside the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex, the Tyson Invitational on Arkansas’ campus at the Randal Tyson Track Center and the Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt inside the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility. The three meets combined for the Hokies going up against 29 ranked teams.

At the Music City Challenge, the distance group was led by Seufer in the 5,000 meters, as the Lynchburg, Virginia native took first, crossing the line in 14 minutes, 15.60 seconds. On the women’s side in the same event, sophomore Sara Freix ran the fourth-fastest time in program history with a time of 16:28.95 to place sixth.

A trio of Hokies recorded steady performances at the Tyson Invitational in the pole vault event. Freshman Joel Leon Benitez posted a second-place finish in the first flight, vaulting a height of 5.15 meters (16 feet, 10.75 inches).

Redshirt senior Torben Laidig turned in his best mark of the year, clearing a height of 5.47 meters (17 ft., 11.25 in.) to place fifth, and junior Deakin Volz placed seventh, tallying a mark of 5.41 meters (17 ft., 9 in.) in the second flight.

“Torben and Joel aren’t 100 percent but we felt they were healthy enough to get in one more meet before the ACC Championships,” pole vault coach Bob Phillips shared. “Torben was able to get a quality national mark from a mid-length run, which was a good effort.

“Deakin jumped on the biggest pole he has used but did not improve his season mark. The experience with that pole should help at future competition, however.”

In the sprints/hurdles group at the Tiger Paw Invitational, Lawrence Harris (unattached) and Joseph Tay recorded personal bests in the 60-meter dash with times of 6.78 seconds and 6.93. Caitlan Tate, a freshman, also crossed the finish line in lifetime-best fashion, clocking a time of 7.40 in the 60 – the fifth-fastest time in school history.

Kennedy Dennis and Tate qualified for the semifinals in the 60 meters, as well as Harris. Newcomer Keishaun Limehouse made it to the semifinals in the 60-meter hurdles, owning a time of 8.02.

Senior Greg Chiles led the way for a contingent of Hokies by running a time of 47.76 in the 400, while Jared Bane registered a personal-best time.

“Caitlan had another good weekend with setting a new PR in the 60,” sprints/hurdles coach Tim Vaught said. “Kennedy was not far from her PR, so it was a pretty good day on the women’s side.

“On the men’s side, it was good to see Jared PR in the 400, and Greg ran a solid race in the event, as well. Lawrence and Joseph both set new PRs, and Joseph is getting his time down little by little, he’s getting better.”

Redshirt freshman Jaelyn Demory jumped a mark of 6.17 meters (20 ft., 3 in.) in his first-ever long jump at the Tiger Paw Invitational, respectively. Sophomore Eszter Bajnok leaped for her first mark of the 2018 season in the long jump, too.

Tech will be back at all three meets tomorrow, starting in Nashville at 10 a.m. on Vanderbilt’s campus. The lone meet that will be streamed is the Tyson Invitational on the SEC Network +.

Sat. | Music City Challenge | 10 a.m. ET | Live Results
Sat. | Tiger Paw Invitational | 11 a.m. ET | Live Results
Sat. | Tyson Invitational | 11 a.m. ET | Live Results | Stream

PERSONAL BESTS

M 60
Lawrence Harris, 6.78 (unattached)
Joseph Tay, 6.93

W 60
Caitlan Tate, 7.40

M 400
Jared Bane, 49.00

W 5,000
Sara Freix, 16:28.95
Lauren Berman, 16:37.56
Kayla Richardson, 16:46.03

M Long Jump
Jaelyn Demory, 6.17m (20’3”)

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