Day One
The Cavaliers’ first day at the Raleigh Relays was highlighted by the performance of freshman Maria Deaviz in the shot put. After just recently setting the freshman record for Virginia, Deaviz threw a put of 17.18 meters (56′ 4.5″) to both win the event and shatter the previous school record. It also currently stands as the best put in the nation this season.
Senior Sam Young also tacked on a win for the Cavaliers in the pole vault, clearing a new personal best of 5.25 meters (17’ 2.75”). This places him at second on the school’s all-time list. Freshman Wes Porter performed well in the 1,500-meter event, moving to third on Virginia’s all-time freshman performance list with a time of 3:45.58.
Senior Halle Hazard took second in the prelims for the 100-meter dash, punching her ticket to the finals. Freshman Kayla Bonnick also secured a spot in the finals with a time of 11.60, setting a freshman record for the Cavaliers.
Day Two
Records continued to fall on the second day of the meet, as Virginia won another four events. Junior Owayne Owens put himself at third on the school’s all-time performance list in the triple jump with a mark of 16.29 meters (53’ 5.5”) to secure the victory.
The discus event was owned by the Cavaliers, as the top two spots were taken by freshman Claudio Romero and freshman Jacob Lemmon. Romero took top honors with a throw of 61.50 meters (201’ 90”). This holds up as the Virginia freshman record and third on the all-time list. Lemmon threw for 56.31 meters (184’ 9”) to finish second.
The Cavaliers’ also picked up a win in the 400 meter run, as junior Jordan Willis finished with a personal best time of 46.10. Willis is now fourth on Virginia’s all-time list. Junior Brandon Outlaw finished second with a time of 46.35, placing him right behind Willis at fifth on Virginia’s all-time list.
Senior Brenton Foster notched the fourth win of the day for the Cavaliers in the high jump with a clearance of 2.08 meters (6’ 9.75”).
Highlights of the day for the women’s team included senior Anna Jefferson’s second-place finish in the 400 meters at 53.90 and junior Thelma Kristjánsdóttir fourth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 50.13 meters (164’ 5”). Sophomore Rebecca Hawkins also took fifth place in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters (5’ 7”).
Day Three
The final day of the meet saw even more record-breaking performances from Virginia. Senior Michaela Meyer stole the show with her performance in the 800-meter event. She took first place with a time of 2:02.20. This broke the school record, as well as the meet and facility record. She also met the qualifying standard for the U.S. Olympic Trials with her performance.
Freshman Keara Seasholtz and freshman Alahna Sabbakhan also competed in the 800 meters. Seasholtz finished in 2:07.59 which puts her at second on the school’s freshman all-time list while Sabbakhan’s 2:08.38 placed her at fourth on the list.
The Cavaliers also broke the record in the women’s 4x100 meter relay team of Bonnick, Hazzard, Jefferson and sophomore Jada Seaman. They finished second in the race, crossing the finish line at 44.55, beating the school record by 1/100th of a second.
Virginia dominated the women’s long jump thanks to the winning performance of sophomore Khyasia Caldwell, who cleared 6.08 meters (19’ 11.5”). Seaman came in second after jumping 6.02 meters (19’ 8”). The Cavaliers also got a victory in the women’s 400-meter hurdles from senior Andrenette Knight’s time of 58.02. Knight would later finish fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.56, ranking fourth on the school’s all-time list.
Hazzard and Seaman competed in the 200 meters. Hazzard took second place in 23.15 while Seaman finished third in 23.18. Hazzard also finished second in the 100 meters at 11.33 seconds while Bonnick was fourth with a time of 11.66.
Jordan Willis competed in the men’s 200 meters on the final day, taking over fourth place on the school’s all-time list with a time of 21.16. This was the best time by a Virginia athlete in 13 years.
“That was a fantastic job for all of our runners in the women’s 800,” Vin Lananna, director of track and field and cross country and associate athletics director for administration, said. “Meyer’s Olympic trials qualifier was impressive. The team is really looking forward to competing at home next weekend.”
Next, the Cavaliers will host the Virginia Invitational Meet at home Friday through Saturday for a nine-team meet. They will look to build on the success of their season so far and emerge victorious.
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