Tech women finish in top 10 at NCAA Championships

Eszter Bajnok and Rachel Pocratsky earned first-team All-America honors to lead the Hokies to their second-best NCAA finish ever

June 9, 2018

EUGENE, Ore. – Virginia Tech female track and field student-athletes Rachel Pocratsky and Eszter Bajnok both earned first-team All-America honors to lift the Virginia Tech women’s track and field team to a top-10 finish in the team standings on a rainy final day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field.

The Hokies came in 10^th as a team and finished with 21.5 points. Their finish and point total marked their second-best ever as a program. The 2010 team finished with 33 points and came in fifth in the race behind Queen Harrison, who won two national titles.

“Any time you can finish in the top 10, it’s a great accomplishment,” Tech director of track and field and cross country Dave Cianelli said. “The quality in this meet is so high, but I felt good about our chances coming in. We just had to come out and performed solidly – and we did that. I’m really proud of how our kids stepped up, and I’m proud of our coaches, too.

“It’s really special to me to see how our programs performed here. Our men’s team finished in the top 15, and we came in ranked 30^th. And our women’s team came in ranked 16^th. To do what we did … you have to come through with your best effort, and we did that. I’m really happy. This gives us a lot of momentum heading into next year.”

Pocratsky, a junior from Gaithersburg, Maryland, came in fifth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 10.83 seconds. She finished just a little more than two seconds behind winner Jessica Hull of Oregon. Her performance during the outdoor season came on the heels on her showing during the indoor season in which she earned first-team All-America honors in the 800.

“Rachel came to Virginia Tech as a 5:17 miler and a 2:13 800-meter runner, and three years later, she’s bummed to be fifth at the NCAA Championships to four girls who all ran faster than 4:38 in high school,” Tech distance coach Ben Thomas said. “It’s crazy how far she’s come as an athlete and a competitor. Super proud of what she’s accomplished and excited for her future. She’s still so new to the 1,500, and she’s learned so much from this year. Next year should be special.”

Bajnok, a sophomore from Kethely, Hungary, came in fifth in the triple jump, breaking her school record in the process – in spite of the weather conditions. Her top jump of 13.42 meters (44 feet, .5 inch) snapped her previous school record of 13.39 meters (43 feet, 11.25 inches), and she earned All-America honors for the first time in her career.

“I cannot say enough about what Eszter showed me today,” jumps coach Paul Zalewski said. “She finished fifth after coming in 14^th, did it in the rain, hail and cold and still pulled out a new school record.

“She stepped up like the champion she is. To have a season like she had this year, with three ACC titles, a new lifetime best and a top-five national finish … I really don’t know what to say. And to think we have two more years to build on this is really exciting. So proud.”

The meet marked the end of the collegiate track and field season and also the end of competition for Virginia Tech Athletics for this academic year.

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