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2015 Hokie Invitational: Hokies Distance Shine and Break a Record

By Tim Thomas

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Jun 6, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Tomas Kruzliak of Virginia Tech wins the hammer throw at 227-3 (69.26m) in the 2013 NCAA Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the attention surrounding Virginia Tech athletics has either been on men’s basketball, the search to replace Aaron Moorehead, or women’s basketball first ACC victory of 2015 over Wake Forest. However, indoor track and field season is in some of the most important months with the outdoor season not far away.

One athlete who is emerging as a star on the Virginia Tech track and field team is Hanna Green and her performance in the Virginia Tech Invitational at Rector Field House gave her some Hokie history.

Green won the 600 meters with a time that broke the school record that was previously held by Frances Dowd with teammate Amanda Smith finishing half a second behind her in second. That recored seems likely to be pushed even more since Green is only a sophomore.

Green was an All-American last season after finishing 13th in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships. Green definitely seems like a contender to potentially be an indoor national champion at 600 meters while also being an early contender to finish in the top 3 in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships.

Green wasn’t the only one to impress as redshirt senior Paige Kvartunas won the one-mile race while redshirt junior Erinn Schaal won the women’s unseeded pole valut. Both of these athletes will definitely look to use their victories to build some momentum for the rest of their seasons.

The men’s team did get one victory from Prince Owusu who gave the Hokies a sweep of the two 600-meter races. Owusu transferred from Virginia State before last season, and has risen to the challenge of comepting at a much higher level as shown by his performance in the 2015 Virginia Tech Invitational.

The Hokies had a one-two finish in the 3,000 meters with senior Juan Campos beating out sophomore Neil Gourley for the victory. Gourley definitely seems like a potential star in the long run while Campos is hoping to finish his final season in a strong way.

Junior Tomas Kruzliak is looking to win his second outdoor national title in the spring in the hammer throw, but was unable to win the weight throw at this meet. However, Kruzliak’s throw did place him tied for fifth in the nation in the weight throw which can’t be understated especially since this is a different event that he has much less experience with.

Chris Uhle seems to have his sight set on breaking a Virginia Tech school record after moving to tied for second in the school record books in the pole vault. Uhle is running out of time to break that record since he is a senior, but he definitely has a good chance at doing it.

David Prince hasn’t played much on the football field, but he may end up leaving Virginia Tech with a school record. The redshirt freshman athlete had a personal best long jump that has him now tied for fourth among Virginia Tech long jumpers all-time. Prince may not be playing much on the football field, but he definitely can get it done as a long jumper.

The Hokies had plenty of success at this year’s Virginia Tech Invitational, and di a great job of defending their home track.

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