May 2, 2008

View the Complete List of Outdoor Track and Field Results

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Parker, Watson Among Liberty Twilight Stars

Full Results

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty juniors Matt Parker and Jaime Watson took advantage of ideal weather conditions at Thursday's Liberty Twilight Qualifier to post NCAA East Regional-qualifying performances. Their efforts highlighted a meet which also saw four Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex records eclipsed.

Parker (Rome, N.Y.) benefitted from a steady tailwind blowing out of the south. He clocked a personal-best 14.26 seconds in the men's 110-meter hurdles final, finishing second in the race and qualifying for the NCAA East Regional Championships. He is now Liberty's second-fastest all-time performer in the event, and the fastest in the last 10 years. Parker, who had already hit the high jump regional standard this season, won that event on Thursday, with a 6-8 clearance.

Watson (Ravenna, Mich.) broke away from the field during the final lap of the women's 800 meters, blazing to a personal-best 2:08.29 in a winning effort. She is now the second-fastest 800-meter runner in school history, trailing only assistant coach Heather (Sagan) Zealand. Watson helped pull teammate Rebekah Ricksecker (Jr., Laurel, Del.) to a second-place finish in a personal-best 2:11.20. Ricksecker's time, which makes her the No. 5 performer in program history, is an ECAC qualifier.

Andrea Beckles (Jr., Lynchburg, Va.) enjoyed the best meet of her career, setting personal bests at both 100 meters and 200 meters. Her 100-meter clocking of 11.87 netted third place in the final. Shortly thereafter, the junior stopped the clock in 24.48 seconds for 200 meters, placing seventh, qualifying for the ECAC Championships and claiming the No. 5 position on Liberty's career performance list.

In addition to Watson, freshman Jennifer Healey (Virginia Beach, Va.) was the Lady Flames' other event champion. She reached 35-11.25 to win the women's triple jump. Adding a runner-up finish was Kristen Dalton (Jr., Wanchese, N.C.), in the meet's final field event, the women's javelin. Her top effort marked 119-9.

Like Beckles, a pair of Liberty men's sprinters enjoyed the warm, breezy conditions prevalent during the first part of Thursday's meet. Aaron Hewlett (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.), who also plays football for the Flames, qualified for the IC4A Championships in the 100-meter dash. His wind-aided time of 10.75 earned sixth place in the event final.

In the 200-meter dash, Durell Cull (So., Rome, N.Y.) raced to a 21.51 effort, improving his 2008 season best by more than a full second. He also earned a spot in the IC4A Championships as a result.

A pair of Liberty seniors made the most of their final home meet. Clendon Henderson (Meadow, Texas) won the discus by 24 feet, stretching the tape to 192-9 on his best throw. Named the ECAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week earlier in the day, Henderson has now won all six of his discus competitions during the 2008 campaign.

Henderson also claimed second place in the men's hammer throw, recording a new personal best with his 192-8 heave. The only competitor to defeat him was Virginia Tech's Matej Muza, who shattered the facility record with a 219-1 effort.

Liberty 14-time All-American Josh McDougal (Sr., Peru, N.Y.), a late addition to the meet's last event, the men's 10,000 meters, won the race by 32 seconds. He qualified for the IC4A Championships with a 31:00.09 clocking in his first 10K since winning the NCAA national cross country title on Nov. 19. Flames freshman Cory Reed (Eldred, N.Y.) came in second, finishing in 31:32.29.

Another Liberty freshman to nab a runner-up finish on Thursday was Kolby Shepherd (Dublin, Ga.). He matched his career-best pole vault clearance, 16-6.75. Shepherd trailed only former Virginia Tech standout Brian Mondschein's facility-record 17-10.5 in the event. Mondschein broke the record of former Flame Michael Prettyman, which had stood at 17-0.75 for 12 years.

The other two new facility records were also established by Virginia Tech athletes. Tasmin Fanning shattered the women's 1,500-meter standard with the nation's No. 5 time of 2008, 4:18.36. Later in the meet, the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase record went down, courtesy of Rider Clauss' 9:10.37 clocking.

Selected Liberty athletes will compete in Sunday's Duke Twilight Meet, which will begin at 2 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Hokies enjoy record-setting day at Liberty Twilight Qualifier
Harrison resets her own 400m dash school record

Full Results

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Sophomore Queen Harrison established another 400-meter dash school record and four current Hokies set new Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex facility records as the Virginia Tech track & field team competed in the Liberty Twilight Qualifier Thursday evening.

The Hokies' fourth-ranked women's team's performance was highlighted by Harrison, who won the 400-meter dash with a school-record time of 53.24 seconds. The Richmond, Va., native improved her previous school best by .63 seconds.

Harrison was followed in second place in the event by Spruill in a personal-record time of 54.83 seconds, while Sherlenia Green was fifth place in 55.89 seconds. Shakirra Pinnock was in sixth place with a time of 55.90 seconds. Asia Washington was the top finisher in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 60.69 seconds in her first run in the event this season.

Elise Birnbaum established a new facility record by winning the women's pole vault event with her top effort of the outdoor season, 12'7.75" (3.85m). Erin Mahony cleared 12'4" (3.75m) to earn a runner-up finish.

Tasmin Fanning set the facility record and earned first place in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:18.36, only .57 seconds off her school-record pace. Tech also took the next three spots in the event, with Natalie Sherbak in second place with a personal-record time of 4:27.98. Jessica Fanning was in third place in 4:29.56, and Erin Reddan was the fourth finisher with a personal record of 4:36.07.

In the hammer throw, Brittany Pryor took the event title with a mark of 188'5" (57.42m).

In the 200-meter dash, Britni Spruill won the event with a season-best performance of 23.51 seconds. Kristi Castlin took third place in her top time of the season at 24.02 seconds, while Kelly Phillips took 15th place with a time of 27.31 in her debut in the event.

Jessica Trapeni won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:09.04, while Lindsey King followed as the runner-up in the event with a time of 18:33.82.

Tech's No. 34 men's team was led by Matej Muza, who established a new facility hammer throw record with a toss of 219'1" (66.77m). In the pole vault, Jared Jodon led all current Hokies with a third-place height of 16'0.75" (4.90m). Former Hokie vaulter Brian Mondschein set another facility record with a first-place vault of 17'10.50" (5.45m).

Rider Clauss established the facility's new 3,000-meter steeplechase time with a first-place performance in a season-best time of 9:10.37. The Tech duo of Clauss and Phil Padilla paced the field, with Padilla registering a second-place finish in a season-record time of 9:29.53. Chris Padilla took fourth place in 9:44.63.

Devin Cornwall and Chris Walizer took the top two spots in the 1,500-meter race. Cornwall won the event in a season-best time of 3:54.17, and Walizer completed the race in 3:56.03, which stands as his top time of the season.

Billy Berlin earned runner-up honors in the 800-meter run with his top time of the season, 1:51.65. Jeff Miller followed in third place with a personal-record time of 1:51.74. Freshman Ryan Witt placed fifth in 1:52.98, and the duo of Nick McLaughlin (1:55.16) and Kyle Guglielmo (1:55.40) were eighth and ninth, respectively. All five athletes turned in season-best performances. James Scheiner rounded out the Hokie performance with a 12th-place performance of 1:58.01.

Zach Thomas took second place in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 14:51.02. Matt Saunders finished seventh with a time of 15:38.77, and Alex Nissen was ninth in a season-record time of 16:14.40.

Tech's 4x400-meter relay of Miller, Berlin, McLaughlin, and Witt finished fourth with a time of 3:25.57.

In his outdoor season debut, Nobel Iyebote placed ninth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.24 seconds, and then took 15th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.17 seconds. Ebenezer Amegashie registered a 13th-place effort in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.19 seconds.

The Hokies travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., next weekend for the North Carolina Elite meet.