WVU Heads Home for Mountaineer Showcase
April 25, 2019 02:41 PM | Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team returns home to host the State Farm Friends of Track and Field Mountaineer Showcase, from April 26-27, at the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park in Morgantown.
The two-day meet is scheduled to begin with field events on Friday at 2 p.m. ET, with running events set to commence at 6 p.m. Saturday's action will start at 9 a.m. Due to constraints in the main parking area, fans will be directed to park in the overflow and supplemental lots around Mylan Park. A shuttle service to and from the track will be available for both days of the meet.
The event marks the Mountaineers' second of three 2019 home meets at the new facility, which officially opened last October.
"We're excited to get home and compete again at the facility," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "After several long weekends of travel, it's nice to be able to sleep in our own beds and simply drive up to our track for a meet and focus only on our performances. This weekend promises to have a great atmosphere with a jam-packed schedule and many alumni returning to town. We're very much looking forward to it."
The Mountaineers are joined by Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Gannon (men only), Marshall, Salem, Slippery Rock, West Liberty, West Virginia Wesleyan and the WVU Track Club.
Last time out, WVU earned four top-10 finishes at the Virginia Challenge, from April 19-20, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Redshirt senior Madelin Gardner led the way with a career-best, school-record performance in the pole vault. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native earned the victory in the pole vault invitational with a mark of 4.47 meters (14 feet, 8 inches), breaking the meet and facility records in the process.
The jump, which ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 4 nationally this season, topped Gardner's previous WVU outdoor record of 4.41 meters from the Virginia Challenge in 2018. It also was the highest regular-season jump in the Big 12 since 2014.
Along with Gardner, redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil finished fifth in the triple jump invitational with a mark of 12.66 meters (41 feet, 6.5 inches), while redshirt senior Bria Welker placed fifth in the 400 meters with an outdoor season-best time of 56.40. Additionally, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie took ninth in the long jump with an outdoor season-best mark of 5.65 meters (18 feet, 6.5 inches).
WVU opened the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park with the West Virginia Open on March 23. The Mountaineers won nine events at the historic event, featuring victories by Welker (200, 400 meters), Gardner (pole vault), McKenzie (100 meters), McNeil (long jump), freshman Margaret Rymer (400-meter hurdles), redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie (1,500-meter steeplechase), redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson (800 meters) and freshman Sada Wright (discus).
Four Mountaineers enter the week ranked in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region qualifying list. Gardner leads the way, ranking No. 1 in the pole vault, while McNeil sits No. 22 in the triple jump with a top mark of 12.74 meters (41 feet, 9.75 inches). Redshirt junior Olivia Hill ranks No. 24 in the region in the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:28.43, while Jackson is slotted No. 39 in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:20.50.
West Virginia also is featured in three events in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) #EventSquad Rankings this week. The Mountaineers rank No. 21 nationally in the pole vault, No. 26 in the 5,000 meters and No. 41 in the 1,500 meters.
The Mountaineer Showcase marks WVU's seventh consecutive weekend in action. In all, West Virginia will compete nine straight weeks, concluding at the 2019 Big 12 Outdoor Championship, which is set for May 10-12, in Norman, Oklahoma.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The two-day meet is scheduled to begin with field events on Friday at 2 p.m. ET, with running events set to commence at 6 p.m. Saturday's action will start at 9 a.m. Due to constraints in the main parking area, fans will be directed to park in the overflow and supplemental lots around Mylan Park. A shuttle service to and from the track will be available for both days of the meet.
The event marks the Mountaineers' second of three 2019 home meets at the new facility, which officially opened last October.
"We're excited to get home and compete again at the facility," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "After several long weekends of travel, it's nice to be able to sleep in our own beds and simply drive up to our track for a meet and focus only on our performances. This weekend promises to have a great atmosphere with a jam-packed schedule and many alumni returning to town. We're very much looking forward to it."
The Mountaineers are joined by Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Gannon (men only), Marshall, Salem, Slippery Rock, West Liberty, West Virginia Wesleyan and the WVU Track Club.
Last time out, WVU earned four top-10 finishes at the Virginia Challenge, from April 19-20, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Redshirt senior Madelin Gardner led the way with a career-best, school-record performance in the pole vault. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native earned the victory in the pole vault invitational with a mark of 4.47 meters (14 feet, 8 inches), breaking the meet and facility records in the process.
The jump, which ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 4 nationally this season, topped Gardner's previous WVU outdoor record of 4.41 meters from the Virginia Challenge in 2018. It also was the highest regular-season jump in the Big 12 since 2014.
Along with Gardner, redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil finished fifth in the triple jump invitational with a mark of 12.66 meters (41 feet, 6.5 inches), while redshirt senior Bria Welker placed fifth in the 400 meters with an outdoor season-best time of 56.40. Additionally, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie took ninth in the long jump with an outdoor season-best mark of 5.65 meters (18 feet, 6.5 inches).
WVU opened the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park with the West Virginia Open on March 23. The Mountaineers won nine events at the historic event, featuring victories by Welker (200, 400 meters), Gardner (pole vault), McKenzie (100 meters), McNeil (long jump), freshman Margaret Rymer (400-meter hurdles), redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie (1,500-meter steeplechase), redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson (800 meters) and freshman Sada Wright (discus).
Four Mountaineers enter the week ranked in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region qualifying list. Gardner leads the way, ranking No. 1 in the pole vault, while McNeil sits No. 22 in the triple jump with a top mark of 12.74 meters (41 feet, 9.75 inches). Redshirt junior Olivia Hill ranks No. 24 in the region in the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:28.43, while Jackson is slotted No. 39 in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:20.50.
West Virginia also is featured in three events in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) #EventSquad Rankings this week. The Mountaineers rank No. 21 nationally in the pole vault, No. 26 in the 5,000 meters and No. 41 in the 1,500 meters.
The Mountaineer Showcase marks WVU's seventh consecutive weekend in action. In all, West Virginia will compete nine straight weeks, concluding at the 2019 Big 12 Outdoor Championship, which is set for May 10-12, in Norman, Oklahoma.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Multi
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Hurdles/Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
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