BLACKSBURG, Va. – The George Mason track & field teams traveled south for their second meet of the season at the Hokie Invitational, hosted by Virginia Tech Track & Field at Rector Field House. The Patriots faced a heavy slate of competition on Day One and they responded with impressive showings.
The Patriots opened competition in the women's pole vault unseeded section with standout performances, led by Kennedy Drish. Drish cleared 4.24m on her first attempt to claim silver, setting a personal best and solidifying her position as the top vaulter in the Atlantic 10 this indoor season. The mark also places her 18th on the NCAA indoor qualifying list and ranks second all-time in George Mason program history. Alina Florou Dimitriadou contributed a strong showing with a season-best 4.04m, ranking second in the conference and earning a fourth-place finish at the meet. Marley Oare cleared 3.79m, a personal best that ranks third in the A-10. The trio's efforts set a high bar for the Patriots and provided an early highlight to the Hokie Invitational.
In the men's pole vault unseeded section, Walt Bannerman delivered a solid performance, clearing 5.05m to place second. The clearance marked a season best for Bannerman and allowed him to remain atop the A-10. Fiona Agyekum opened her season in the women's weight throw with a mark of 16.55m, a mark that ranks fourth in the conference.
On the track, Davian Burke continued his momentum in the men's 60m hurdles, setting another personal best with a time of 7.95 to earn bronze at the meet. The performance marked the first time Burke has broken the eight-second barrier, improving on his previous personal best of 8.05 set last weekend in Annapolis. He moves up the ranks to second in the A-10 and seventh all-time in George Mason program history.
Additional personal bests were recorded across the track, highlighted by Sarah Clark in the women's 3000m (10:02.80), Helena Santacana in the women's 300m (41.20), and Anthony Gibson Jr. in the men's 60m (7.03). In the preliminaries, Kaela O'Connor tied her season-best time of 8.81 in the 60m hurdles, the fifth-fastest mark in the Atlantic 10, while Shania Staats (7.79) and Sydney Rhodes (7.88) recorded personal bests in the the 60m. Several other Patriots also saw action in less commonly raced distances, including the 1000m, 600m, and 300m. In the women's 1000m, Ella Semple placed third with a personal-best time of 2:51.58, a mark that ranks second in the A-10 this indoor season and seventh all-time in George Mason program history.
The Patriots will return to action tomorrow for Day Two of the Hokie Invitational, competing in the men's & women's shot put, men's high jump, men's & women's triple jump, women's 400m, men's & women's mile, men's & women's 200m, men's 800m, and the men's 4x400m relay. A complete meet schedule and live results are linked are available online.
