The field eventers will bring their sprinters with them this time around when they head to Blacksburg, Virginia, for the second time in two weeks.
Jumpers and throwers competed at Virginia Tech’s Hokie Invitational on Jan. 18-19, while the runners were in South Carolina for the Clemson Invitational.
This weekend, the whole team will be together in Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech Elite Invitational. This is the team’s third meet of 2019.
Junior Grant Holloway started the season with a national No. 2 long-jump ranking at 8.02 meters, a national first place 60 meter hurdle time of 7.49 seconds and a national fourth-place 200 meter dash ranking with a time of 20.69 seconds.
The men’s 4x400 relay team with Holloway, sophomore Benjamin Lobo Vedel, senior Ryan Clark and sophomore Chantz Sawyers claim the national No. 2 ranking at 3:04.74.
Senior Yanis David tied the No. 1 national ranking in the long-jump at 6.45 meters during her last visit to Virginia Tech. Junior Kala Penn tied the national No. 9 ranking in the long jump as well, with a jump of 6.22 meters. At the Clemson Invitational, the women’s 4x400 relay team featuring senior Sharrika Barnett, sophomores Nikki Stephens, Lauryn Ghee and Taylor Manson earned a national No. 6 ranking with a time of 3:35.57.
Sophomore Amanda Froeynes earned a national fourth-place ranking in the pentathlon at the Razorback Invitational, including a meet record of 2:12.04 in the 800-meter portion of the competition. Stephens, redshirt junior Jessica Pascoe, freshmen Imogen Barrett and Gabrielle Wilkinson won the distance-medley relay while posting a time of 11:15.59, the fastest time the program has run since 2015.
The Gators already achieved plenty of early success during the indoor portion of their season.
Head Coach Mike Holloway, who signed a 10-year contract extension last May, saw his team post nine national rankings inside the top 10 during just the Razorback Invitational alone. They will look to continue that success through this weekend.
Follow Graham Marsh on Twitter @GrahamMarshUF and contact him at gmarsh@alligator.org.
Junior Grant Holloway started the season with a national No. 2 long-jump ranking at 8.02 meters, a national first place 60 meter hurdle time of 7.49 seconds and a national fourth-place 200 meter dash ranking with a time of 20.69 seconds.
