Track & Field: Anumba sets UVA record in outdoor opener

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia’s men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their outdoor campaign at home when the Hoos hosted the Virginia Open at Lannigan Field on Saturday. The Cavalier sprinters and throwers ruled a day highlighted by a record-breaking performance from Ashley Anumba.

Anumba wasted no time stepping into mid-season form as she broke a Virginia discus-record with her throw of 56.50m (185’4”). Though she did not surpass her own personal-best (57.36m), Anumba topped the previous Virginia record set by Billie-Jo Grant (56.06m / 183’11”) in 2008.

Jacob Lemmon opened his outdoor campaign with a second-place finish in the hammer throw (61.36m / 201’4”) while his teammate Evangelos Fradelakis made his debut for the Cavaliers in the competition. Fradelakis’ mark of 61.24 (200’11”) ranks fifth on the Virginia all-time performance list. Jacob Lemmon ranks third on the list with his personal-best set in 2021 (58.54m / 192’1”).

On the women’s side, Jada Marsh placed fourth in the hammer throw with a mark of 51.42m (168’8”) in her first collegiate attempt. The mark ranks seventh on the all-time indoor performance list and fifth on the freshman list. Morgan Johnson reached a mark of 50.17m (164’7”) to rank tenth on the performance list.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Maria Deaviz won the shot put with a mark of 16.87m (55’4.25”)
• Thomas Dickinson kicked off his Virginia career with a win in the javelin after throwing 60.55m (198’8”)
• Claudio Romero won the discus with a 61.05m (200’3”) throw
• Zoe Rice won the long jump reaching a mark of 6.19m (20’3.75”) (Wind +2.9)
• Jay Pendarvis threw down a personal-best time of 10.56 in the 100m (Wind +2.5)

FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD VIN LANANNA

“Overall, it was a great way to start the outdoor season for us. The throwers and sprinters had a great day. It was an opportunity to shake a bit of the rust off especially when we to compete every weekend starting in Raleigh next week.”

UP NEXT

Virginia will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to participate in the Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State beginning Thursday, March 24.