THE FLATS – Yellow Jacket track & field looks to host the 2021 Georgia Tech Invitational at Griffin Track this Friday, April 16 & Saturday, April 17. A full schedule of the meet can be found here. More information regarding the Invitational can be found here.
Week Five will see the Jackets line up against Alabama-Huntsville (M/W), Augusta (M/W), Boston College (M), Charleston Southern (M/W), Chattanooga (W), Clark Atlanta (W), Emory (M/W), Georgia Southern (W), Georgia State (W), Hillsdale College (M/W), Jacksonville State (W), Kennesaw State (M/W), Lee (M/W), Mississippi College (M/W), Transylvania Univ. (M) and Valdosta State (M/W).
Heading into Tech’s final home meet of the 2021 outdoor season four Jackets currently rank within the top-25 nationally in their respective events. Senior distance runner Nicole Fegans holds the No. 3 mark in the country in the women’s 5K, having clocked in at 15:37.16 at Raleigh Relays in late-March. Classmate Bria Matthews sits in the No. 11 spot in the women’s long jump after clearing a distance of 6.47m/21′ 2.75″ at Florida Relays at the beginning of April. Sophomore vaulter Olivia Moore owns the No. 21 height in the women’s pole vault as she cleared a mark of 4.17m/13′ 8.25″ at last weekend’s Crimson Tide Invite. On the men’s end of national rankings senior distance runner Andrew Kent is ranked 23rd in the 5K with a time of 13:47.77 that was also set at Raleigh Relays.
Matthews and the Yellow Jacket seniors will be gearing up for their final home meet of their collegiate careers. Matthews collected six ACC titles throughout her career so far.
28 women and 24 men are slotted to don the White & Gold for Tech this weekend. Matthews kicks-off the Invite for the Jackets as she and six teammates will take on the women’s long jump competition. Friday’s men’s field events open with senior thrower Mark Kimura Smith in the men’s javelin and freshman vaulter Matthew Mazzacano in the men’s pole vault at 5:30 p.m. (EST). Junior Taylor Grimes, freshman Camille Trotman and sophomore Anna Witherspoon will start the track events for the Jackets on Friday, taking on the 100m hurdles at 5:30 p.m. (EST) as well. Starting at 6:15 p.m. (EST) Witherspoon and men’s sprinter Tyson Spears will then tackle the 100m dash.
At 7:30 p.m. (EST) on Friday the distance crew will see a swarm of Jackets race in the 1500m event, led by Fegans and Kent. Freshman Alex Thomas is another Jacket to keep an eye on in that event and in the 800m on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. The 3000m steeplechase and 5K will follow the 1500m to close out Friday’s action. In the steeplechase, 2000m steeplechase school record-holders Claire Moritz and Cole Miller will get a chance to break the 3000m event record. In the 5K Fegans and Kent will be back on the line to guide Tech, with multiple teammates joining them.
At noon on Saturday Moore starts day two off for Tech in the women’s pole vault, while freshmen Carla duPlessis and Shanty Papakosta will also lace it up for the women’s high jump at the same time. Matthews will be back at it for the women’s triple jump as well. The men’s & women’s 800m, starting at 2:15 p.m. (EST), and the 200m at 3:30 p.m. (EST) feature another swarm of Jackets and will be a pair of events to keep an eye on.
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