Virginia will compete in the prestigious Penn Relays, a three day meet that begins today at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The meet boasts the biggest names in track and field in addition to 264 collegiate teams.
"It's a huge honor to go" to Penn Relays, senior middle distance runner Megan Schwartz said. "This is the first time in two years we have gone."
The Relays are divided into three sections, the high school, college and Olympic development. Maurice Greene, Gail Devers and Inger Miller, among other Olympic gold medallists, will compete in Philadelphia at the Olympic development level. Every ACC team will compete in both men's and women's events.
Villanova athletes at the collegiate ranks dominate the Relays' wall of fame, while only two ACC competitors can claim that honor. Renaldo Nehemiah of Maryland ('79)was inducted in 1995, while Florida State's Randy Givens was inducted in 1997.
The atmosphere that the Cavaliers will be competing in will be vastly different from that to which they are accustomed.
"I went my first year," sprinter Scott Kimball said. "It was really overwhelming. The number of spectators that comes is pretty ridiculous, it's pretty fun."
Once again, the Virginia men's 4x100 meter relay team will try to break the school record and qualify for NCAA championships. The 4x100 team is only two tenths of a second over the record of 40.25 seconds.
"We can't be too disappointed," Kimball said. "We didn't get any slower. We know [the school record] is there, it's still our goal."
The Relays also give the Cavaliers the opportunity to run relays in which they don't usually get to compete, such as the 4x200 meter relay and the sprint medley.
On the women's side, Schwartz hopes to lead the Cavaliers to competitive finishes in the 4x800 and 4x1500 meter relays.
"We're looking to improve our relay times," Schwartz said. "My personal goal is to race and hand off the baton right up there with the leaders."
Three legs of the 4x800 and 4x1500 relays will be run by the same athletes.
"I'm just really excited to run with a group of girls who are competitive and excited about it," Schwartz said.
In the women's 4x800, Virginia will rely heavily on two freshmen, Leslie Schultz and Erin O'Doherty, who have shown promise this season.
"We're excited to show what we can do," Schwartz said.
Read More
Football lands three additional transfers
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayOne common trait that stands out with this most recent batch of transfers is size.
Men’s basketball suffers road drubbing versus California
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayVirginia submitted another rudderless performance.
