The premier event of the outdoor track and field season has arrived.
This is a meet that hosts high school phenoms, professional athletes and everyone in between. This is a meet where college programs like the Cavaliers can join the ranks of the elite in a matter of minutes. This is Penn Relays. This is big.
"It's the best meet of the year," Virginia coach Jason Vigilante said. "Hands down."
Penn Relays has been held annually at the University of Pennsylvania's historic Franklin Field since 1895, making it America's oldest track and field competition. More than 20,000 entries are made every year, and during the course of three days, a crowd of at least 100,000 comes to watch. Only the Olympics and World Championships attract more competitors and spectators.
"Last year was the first time I went there, and it was a great experience," said sophomore Sintayehu Taye, who won the ACC 1500-meter run last weekend. "There were a lot of fans, it was very loud and there was some good running."
This year's meet figures to be even bigger. Among the competitors are elite high school athletes from the Caribbean to Zimbabwe and the top college teams in the nation, including Florida, Texas A&M and Oregon.
And some guy by the name of Usain Bolt will compete, too.
"It's like the Super Bowl of track and field," said sophomore Lance Roller, who won the 800m run at the ACC Outdoor Championships this year. "You get to compete against the best of the best and you get to see the professionals and even the future superstars in high school. It's just a great experience, and a great place to be."
The Cavaliers will compete in a total of 20 events throughout the weekend. Some notable entries on the women's side are senior Megan Briggs in the javelin and sophomore Maureen Laffan and freshman Emily Vannoy in the shot put. Briggs is the defending Penn Relays Champion - and last weekend's ACC Outdoor Champion - and Laffan and Vannoy are seeded fifth and seventh, respectively.
But the relay races are the main events, awarding massive, wheel-shaped Championship of America trophies to the victors. The Virginia men's team will send a 4-by-800m relay team and a distance medley relay team, both of which have valid chances to take home the spoils.
"I look forward to our teams getting themselves into the mix in the championship races," Vigilante said. "If we can compete with the likes of Oregon, Penn State, Villanova and Arkansas, we're in elite company."
The 4-by-800 team will feature Roller, freshman Robby Andrews and senior Alex Bowman, the three of whom nearly swept the top three places in the 800m at the ACC Championships, finishing first, second and fourth. Freshman Zach Vrhovac, who helped set a meet record in the 4-by-800 with Albemarle High School last year, will round out the group.
"We want to win the Championship of America and bring that big wheel to Charlottesville," Roller said. "Hopefully get a gold watch, too ... A gold watch would be nice."
Vigilante is no stranger to success at Penn Relays. As coach at the University of Texas, he led the Longhorns to six Championship of America titles in three years. Now in his second year at Virginia, he hopes to do the same for the Cavaliers and take the program to the next level.
"I think that it's been a long time since the University of Virginia has been considered elite," Vigilante said. "Winning a Championship of America is of vital importance to me as the head coach of this program, because it's one of the first steps to getting there"
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