Virginia track and field made the in-state trip to Williamsburg last week for the Colonial Relays, a three-day event beginning on Thursday. Despite only the field portion of the team competing in the relays — which includes pole vaulting and different throwing events — Virginia was still able to compete for the overall title. By the time they departed Saturday, the Cavaliers had won the 38-school women’s competition with a total of 80 points, and also finished eighth on the men’s side with a 41-point showing.
From start to finish, Virginia displayed a bevy of talent on its way to numerous facility records and event victories.
Graduate thrower Evangelos Fradelakis began the weekend by placing first in the men’s hammer throw championship, mustering a toss of 61.85 meters (202’11”) to earn 10 points for the Cavaliers. Freshman thrower John Fay finished fifth in the same competition, throwing 53.27 meters (174’9”) and garnering four points for Virginia.
Freshman thrower Jada Marsh and junior thrower Morgan Johnson finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the women’s hammer throw championship. Marsh picked up four points for the Cavaliers with a throw of 50.67 meters (166’3”), while Johnson earned two for her 49.20 meter (161’5”) toss.
The Cavaliers claimed four of the top 10 spots in the women’s pole vault championship, picking up 20 combined points in the process. Sophomore pole vaulter Trina Baracrola and junior pole vaulters Caroline Dannenbaum and Riley Larsen all vaulted 3.70 meters (12’1.5”) to place second, third and fourth. Junior pole vaulter Maya Maloney also competed, reaching a height of 3.55 meters (11’7.75”) for eighth place.
Virginia also racked up 20 points in the women’s shot put championship, with half coming from sophomore thrower Maria Deaviz. Deaviz won the event in a landslide by way of her 17.01 meter (55’9.75”) toss, a facility record at Walter J. Zable Stadium and the best performance in the ACC this season.
Freshman thrower Janae Profit and junior thrower Kaiya Saunders rounded out the strong performance in the event for the Cavaliers, placing third and fifth respectively. Profit’s throw went 14.84 meters (48’8.25”) and Saunders' throw went 14.42 meters (47’3.75”).
In the men’s discus championship, junior thrower Claudio Romero bested the field with a heave of 63.03 meters (206’9”) that earned Virginia 10 points. Romero’s throw brought the Cavaliers yet another facility record, and the junior now holds the record in the ACC for this season so far. Junior thrower Jacob Lemmon collected eight more points for Virginia by finishing third with a throw of 56.25 meters (184’6”).
Junior pole vaulter Kyle Mosteller and sophomore pole vaulter Tyler Lynch combined to add nine more points to the Cavaliers’ total in the men’s pole vault championship. The duo vaulted identical heights of 4.60 meters (15’1”) to tie for fourth in the competition.
As the Colonial Relays neared their conclusion, Virginia had one final encore. The women’s discus championship had 39 points up for grabs, and the Cavaliers took home all but five of them.
Virginia earned the top four spots in the competition by way of Deaviz, graduate thrower Ashley Anumba and senior throwers Thelma Kristjánsdóttir and Sadey Rodriguez. Anumba’s toss of 52.10 meters (170’11”) won her the event and set a facility record in the process, while Deaviz’s throw of 49.45 meters (162’3”) garnered second. Kristjánsdóttir and Rodriguez followed close behind in third and fourth, with hurls of 48.59 meters (159’5”) and 47.66 meters (156’4”). Profit and Saunders also continued their successful days, throwing 46.70 meters (153’2”) and 45.75 meters (150’1”) for sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Overall, it was a successful performance from the athletes who competed for Virginia, and the teams hope to carry that momentum into their next competition. The Cavaliers will return to action from Thursday to Saturday at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C.
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