WVU Closes Regular Season at Home
May 03, 2019 02:47 PM | Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team caps the 2019 outdoor regular season by hosting the Mountaineer Open on Saturday, May 4, at the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park.
The meet is set to begin with field events at 2 p.m. ET, while running events are scheduled to commence at 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all fans. Additionally, live results from the meet are available here.
During the meet, WVU will honor its eight academic seniors for their strong contributions to the program: Danique Bryan, Jillian Forsey, Madelin Gardner, Candace Jones, Shamoya McNeil, Faith Penny, Andrea Pettit and Bria Welker.
"It's nice to get the chance to finish up the regular season at home," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "With lots of travel ahead of us, this will be a great way to put the final touches on preparing for the Big 12 Championship. We're also excited to send our seniors out the right way, which is one of the countless number of reasons why we are so grateful for this new facility. Our goal is to get work in this weekend and begin to focus on the postseason."
Saturday marks the last of three outdoor home meets for the Mountaineers at the new facility this spring. WVU will be joined by Bethany, California (Pa.), Carnegie Mellon, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Seton Hill and Westminster.
Last week, West Virginia earned eight wins and 15 top-three finishes at the State Farm Friends of Track & Field Mountaineer Showcase, from April 26-27, in Morgantown. Redshirt senior Bria Welker won a pair of events, taking the 100 meters on Friday in 12.80 before winning the 400 meters in 57.67 on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson also secured a win on Friday, finishing first in the 1,500 meters in 4:26.38. The Mountaineers tacked on six more victories on Saturday, featuring wins by Welker, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie (200 meters – 25.75), redshirt junior Olivia Hill (3,000 meters – 9:59.61), redshirt senior Madelin Gardner (pole vault – 4.40 meters), redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil (triple jump – 12.93 meters) and redshirt junior Faith Penny (high jump – 1.65 meters).
Additionally, freshman Sada Wright earned a mark of 42.33 meters in the discus throw, good for a second-place finish and the fourth-best mark in program history.
Entering the week, four Mountaineers rank in the top 48 on the NCAA East Region performance list. Gardner ranks No. 3 in the region and No. 6 nationally in the pole vault with a school-record mark of 4.47 meters, while McNeil is tied for No. 20 in the region and No. 45 nationally in the triple jump (12.79 meters). Hill sits No. 26 in the NCAA East Region in the 10,000 meters (34:28.43), while Jackson is slotted No. 45 in the 5,000 meters (16:20.50).
Away from the track, redshirt junior Andrea Pettit was honored with WVU's highest student honor, the Order of Augusta, on Monday. The Rhodes Scholarship finalist was among eight WVU students to receive the accolade.
The Mountaineer Open marks WVU's eighth 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 meet is set to begin with field events at 2 p.m. ET, while running events are scheduled to commence at 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all fans. Additionally, live results from the meet are available here.
During the meet, WVU will honor its eight academic seniors for their strong contributions to the program: Danique Bryan, Jillian Forsey, Madelin Gardner, Candace Jones, Shamoya McNeil, Faith Penny, Andrea Pettit and Bria Welker.
"It's nice to get the chance to finish up the regular season at home," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "With lots of travel ahead of us, this will be a great way to put the final touches on preparing for the Big 12 Championship. We're also excited to send our seniors out the right way, which is one of the countless number of reasons why we are so grateful for this new facility. Our goal is to get work in this weekend and begin to focus on the postseason."
Saturday marks the last of three outdoor home meets for the Mountaineers at the new facility this spring. WVU will be joined by Bethany, California (Pa.), Carnegie Mellon, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Seton Hill and Westminster.
Last week, West Virginia earned eight wins and 15 top-three finishes at the State Farm Friends of Track & Field Mountaineer Showcase, from April 26-27, in Morgantown. Redshirt senior Bria Welker won a pair of events, taking the 100 meters on Friday in 12.80 before winning the 400 meters in 57.67 on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson also secured a win on Friday, finishing first in the 1,500 meters in 4:26.38. The Mountaineers tacked on six more victories on Saturday, featuring wins by Welker, freshman Peter-Gay McKenzie (200 meters – 25.75), redshirt junior Olivia Hill (3,000 meters – 9:59.61), redshirt senior Madelin Gardner (pole vault – 4.40 meters), redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil (triple jump – 12.93 meters) and redshirt junior Faith Penny (high jump – 1.65 meters).
Additionally, freshman Sada Wright earned a mark of 42.33 meters in the discus throw, good for a second-place finish and the fourth-best mark in program history.
Entering the week, four Mountaineers rank in the top 48 on the NCAA East Region performance list. Gardner ranks No. 3 in the region and No. 6 nationally in the pole vault with a school-record mark of 4.47 meters, while McNeil is tied for No. 20 in the region and No. 45 nationally in the triple jump (12.79 meters). Hill sits No. 26 in the NCAA East Region in the 10,000 meters (34:28.43), while Jackson is slotted No. 45 in the 5,000 meters (16:20.50).
Away from the track, redshirt junior Andrea Pettit was honored with WVU's highest student honor, the Order of Augusta, on Monday. The Rhodes Scholarship finalist was among eight WVU students to receive the accolade.
The Mountaineer Open marks WVU's eighth 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
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Multi
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
High Jump
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Hurdles/Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & FieldT&F: DMR Team Big 12 Championship Post-Race Interview
Saturday, March 01
Petal Palmer - 2024 Wilma Rudolph Award Recipient
Monday, June 10
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Life as a Mountaineer - Haley Jackson
Monday, May 16
