Hokies own highest-rated teams out of the ACC
Following two weeks of action during the outdoor season, the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its Top 25 rankings on Monday afternoon, with the Virginia Tech men coming in at No. 13 and the women at No. 18.
The men fell one spot while the women moved up two from the previous poll, released on March 20 for the preseason. Tech owns the highest-rated team on both sides out of the ACC.
Tech is the one of only two schools (Florida State) from the ACC to have both of its units ranked inside the Top 25. The men are one of three schools from the conference, with Virginia at No. 23 and Florida State at No. 25, and the women are one of two teams ranked, with Florida State at No. 19.
The Hokies are coming off a successful weekend at three meets, including three national times and marks by Lisa Gunnarsson (No. 1 pole vault), Marek Barta (No. 3 discus) and Greg Chiles (No. 6 400-meter hurdles).
Gunnarsson broke the school record in the outdoor pole vault event, clearing a height of 4.60 meters (15 feet, 1 inch) to place second at the Texas Relays. The mark was tied for the seventh-best jump in collegiate history on the women’s side.
Barta threw a mark of 61.13 meters (200 feet, 7 inches) in the discus at the Florida Relays, earning first place against a stacked field. Chiles clocked a time of 50.77 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in third place. Barta’s mark and Chiles’ time are both first in the ACC.
The Hokies will hit the road this weekend to compete on East Carolina’s campus at the Bill Carson Invitational. The event is slated for April 6-7 at the Bate Foundation Track and Field Facility.
— VT athletics
