Virginia Challenge
Date: April 19-20
Time: 11 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. ET
Location: Lannigan Field | Charlottesville, Virginia
Host: University of Virginia
Results: https://flashresults.com/2019_Meets/Outdoor/04-19_VirginiaChallenge/
Bryan Clay Invitational
Date: April 17-19
Time: 7:15 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 8:50 a.m. PT
Location: Cougar Athletic Stadium | Azusa, California
Host: Azusa Pacific University
Results: http://finishedresults.com/
Video: FloTrack
Schedule: FINAL MEET SCHEDULE
At A Glance
- A handful of student-athletes will compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational early in the week before the majority of the team travels to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school, Virginia, for the Virginia Challenge.
- Approximately 92 programs are set to compete at the Virginia Challenge from 52 schools and one club.
By The Numbers
- 29 — Between the two teams, 29 freshmen joined the ranks of the Fighting Irish for the 2018-19 season, including 11 women and 18 men.
- 29 — At the preseason USTFCCCA rankings, the Irish women ranked 24th in the nation, following their 46th place finish at last season’s NCAA Championships. At the latest release, the women sit 29th in the nation.
- 10 — The men’s and women’s teams combine for ten individuals holding top-50 collegiate finishes through the 2019 season thus far. The women hold six times/throws in the top-50 from five individuals while the men have five.
- 7 — At the North Florida Invitational, seven Irish team members won their events including sweeps in both the hammer throw and javelin.
- 6 — Six members of the Irish team qualified for nationals in the 2018 outdoor season, including four who return for the 2018-19 season.
- 5 — Five current Irish team members hold Notre Dame school records on the track and in the field (outdoors), combining for five total records. Jess Harris (800m, 1500m, 3K, DMR), Anna Rohrer (10K), Kelly Hart (DMR), Gabe Diederich (Javelin), Rachel Tanczos (Hammer Throw) and.
- 4 — The Notre Dame Track & Field team welcomed four new faces to the coaching staff in 2018-19 including three assistants (Kendra Foley – W. Distance, Wayne Pate – Sprints, Rodney Zuyderwyk – Jumps) and a volunteer assistant coach (Cole Hester – M. Distance).
- 1 — Meghan Scott, in her first collegiate race, clocked a first place finish in the women’s 5K at the Spartan Invitational.
- 1 — Yared Nuguse came out of the gate with a first place finish in the men’s 800m run at the Stanford Invitational. Having not been on a track since his national championship in the men’s DMR during the indoor season, Nuguse crossed the finish in 1:48.29.
- 3 — Three records have already fallen for the Irish this outdoor season. Gabrielle Diederich set the Notre Dame program record in the javelin at the Victor Lopez Invitational (47.21m) before Rachel Tanczos set the school hammer throw record and Jess Harris broke the previous 3K record for the Irish at the Louisville Invitational.
- 1 — This is Matt Sparks’ first season at the helm of the Fighting Irish, having previously served four years as an assistant and associate head coach for the team.
What They’re Saying
- “A majority of our team competing this weekend will travel to Charlottesville for the Virginia Challenge. This will be an opportunity to compete on the same facility where the ACC Championship will be held. This meet is also one of the most competitive track meets in the East this weekend.
- “We are sending a select few men to compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California this weekend. The Bryan Clay meet will feature what is traditionally the yearly fastest collegiate men’s 1500m. This will be a chance for Yared Nuguse to run against the best in the country.” — Hatherly-Piane Head Coach Matt Sparks said.
Last Time Out
- Two school records fell at the Louisville Invitational as Rachel Tanczos and Jess Harris added their names to the records book. Tanczos opened the meet with a 61.96m hammer throw outing, putting her 30th in the nation as of April 15. On the second day, Harris destroyed a 20-year-old record in the 3K, posting a 9:09.71 finish to break JoAnna Deeter’s record of 9:18.31 set in 1999.
- Gabrielle Diederich etched her name in the Notre Dame records book with her 47.21m throw in the javelin at the Victor Lopez Classic to kick off the outdoor season.
- Last season, the Irish sent six representatives to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, four of which return for the 2019 season.
- Rachel DaDamio, Jessica Harris, Annie Heffernan and Anna Rohrer are all veterans of the championship meet, having competed last year to bring the women a tie for 46th place at the national meet.
- At their most recent indoor meet, the Irish ran away with their fourth National Title in men’s program history when the DMR crossed the line first at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 9:31.55.
- Many indoor records fell in 2018-19, three of which stood at the end of the season. Logan Kusky broke men’s numerous weight throw records while Abbey Kapitan and Rachel Tanczos went back and forth with records in the women’s weight throw.
- The men’s DMR set the fastest time in program and Meyo Track history with a 9:26.10 finish at the Alex Wilson Invitational and posted the second-best time ever recorded in the NCAA.
- At the ACC Indoor Championships, Notre Dame recorded four conference titles in the Men’s DMR, Men’s Weight Throw, Women’s Weight Throw and Men’s Mile.
Up Next
- The team will split for a trio of meets next weekend in the Penn Relays, Jesse Owens Invitational and the Gina Relays.
- Notre Dame will have one meet remaining in the Billy Hayes Invitational before the ACC Championships begin May 9-11 in Charlottesville, Virginia.