RALEIGH, N.C. – Georgia Tech senior women’s jumper Bria Matthews was named the 2021 Women’s Field MVP following the final day of competition at the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Paul Derr Track in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday night. Matthews collected silver medals in both the women’s long & triple jump events, making it eight total times she has made podium in her collegiate career at ACC’s. It is the second time she has been named ACC Field MVP.
The Yellow Jacket women finished the meet in 11th-place with 36 points, while the Tech men placed 14th at 9.5 points. Matthews contributed 16 points to the Tech women’s total.
“The two highlights of the weekend were Bria Matthews and Nicole Fegans,” said head women’s track & field coach Alan Drosky. “For the second time in her career, Bria earned the ACC Field Event MVP award and for the eighth time in her career she stood on the podium at the conference championships. On top of all that, she walked across the stage a week ago in Bobby Dodd stadium with her Masters in Electrical Engineering degree in her hand. And Nicole was brilliant in the 10,000m on Thursday night, shattering our school record by over a minute and setting the ACC Championship Meet Record on her way to winning the event.
“We had so many other great efforts and personal bests from the women. We continue to work to develop our full team and are making strides each season. Now we turn our focus to the NCAA Championships in two weeks.”
“In my 28 years of being the head coach of Georgia Tech men’s track & field I do not recall a year where we have dealt with this many injuries,” said head men’s track & field coach Grover Hinsdale. “We just could not get ahead of them this outdoor season. I am disappointed in our championship result but I am not disappointed in any way with these young men. They fought hard throughout the meet – many posting PR’s. We just did not have everyone we needed here or at 100%.”
True freshman distance runner Alex Thomas posted a 1:49.48 in the men’s 800m final, good for sixth-place on the individual leaderboard, earning him second team all-ACC honors in the process.
The women’s high jump saw fellow true freshman Carla du Plessis also make second team all-ACC, as she placed fifth after clearing a height of 1.75m/5′ 8.75″.
In the women’s 4×100 relay the Jackets finished sixth with a time of 45.54 backed by the performances of Alexis Kitchens, Taylor Grimes, Anna Witherspoon and Matthews. The men’s 4×400 relay team took eighth, while women’s 4×400 crew placed ninth.
Braeden Collins (14:17.41), James Cragin (14:19.95) and Jake Shewbert (14:24.78) each registered personal best times in the men’s 5K.
Tech is off this upcoming weekend prior to heading to NCAA Division I East Regional Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fl., on May 27-29.
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