The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams recorded strong performances on April 24 during the second day of the 2026 Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, highlighted by three third-place finishes.
The event matters as it showcases the competitive standing of Virginia athletes in one of the nation’s prominent collegiate track meets. The results reflect both individual talent and teamwork across multiple disciplines.
In relay action, the men’s team—composed of Nathan Mountain, Anders Felts, Sam Rodman, and Gary Martin—placed third in the College Men’s Distance Medley Championship of America with a time of 9:33.13. The women’s distance medley relay team finished sixth overall with Tatum Olesen, Ariel Fletcher, Cate DeSousa, and Tatum David clocking 11:00.37. Additionally, Sarah Akpan, Elsa Spoor, Ariel Fletcher, and Brooke’Lyn Drakeford ran a season-best time of 3:38.24 in the College Women’s 4x400m Championship heats.
Individually, Jayden McKeen achieved third place in the College Men’s Javelin Throw section with a mark of 62.78 meters on his final attempt. Abigail Meckes also secured third place for Virginia in the College Women’s Javelin Throw section with her best throw measuring 44.39 meters.
Other notable performances included Peter Djan finishing just two spots shy of qualifying for the finals in the men’s 110-meter hurdles after running a time of 14.18 seconds (+1.4 wind). Maya Rollins placed fourteenth overall in her heat for the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.65 seconds (+1.2 wind), while Liam Paneque reached his furthest mark at 6.87 meters during his second jump.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s events at Franklin Field on April 25, Suzie Kennelly and Janae Profit will compete in the College Women’s Discus Championship starting at 9:30 a.m., while other members are set to participate at Charlotte Invitational held at Irwin Belk Track & Field Center.
