GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – A top-10 men’s team finish and a women’s gold medal highlighted the Atlantic Coast Conference’s impressive showing at the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Four new ACC records, additional podium finishes and a slew of personal bests completed a successful weekend for league competitors at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Louisville senior Makenli Forrest made an immediate splash on Thursday night with her gold medal throw of 23.26 meters (76-3.75). Forrest’s winning throw on her final attempt just edged Notre Dame’s Rachel Tanczos (23.24/76-3) to give the ACC a 1-2 finish.
When the final scores were tallied on Saturday, the Florida State men held sixth place with 23 points. Virginia Tech tied for 16th place with 11 points, and North Carolina tied for 18th with 10 to give the ACC three teams among the top 20.
The FSU men have now placed sixth in each of the last two NCAA Indoor Championships after earning that same spot in 2019 (last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
On the women’s side, Virginia Tech led all ACC teams with a program-best 14th-place finish. The Hokies, who scored 15 team points, were joined by a crowded league contingent among the top 30. Florida State and Notre Dame tied for 16th place with 13 points, and Louisville held the No. 20 spot with 10.
Clemson, Miami and NC State each scored nine points to tie for 24th place in the women’s standings, and Duke placed 29th with six points.
Four ACC records fell during NCAA competition, including a pair by men’s competitors who topped their own previous marks.
Florida State senior Isaac Grimes took the silver medal with his long jump of 8.35 meters (27-4.75), which bettered his previous ACC record of 8.33 meters and currently stands fifth in the world. Virginia Tech junior sprinter Jacory Patterson took the bronze medal in the 400-meter dash in a league-record 45.14, a shade faster than the 45.24 time he posted during the ACC Championships on Feb. 27.
Meanwhile, Florida State's Adriaan Wildschutt placed fourth in the 5,000 meters with an ACC-record time of 13:30.55 that toppled the previous conference mark of 13:32 by Clemson's Robert duBrouwer that had stood since 1985.
Laurie Barton’s time of 2:01.21 in the women’s 800 netted the Clemson senior a silver medal and broke the previous ACC and school record of 2:01.64 set by Natoya Goule as she captured the gold medal in the event at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Florida State senior Trey Cunningham placed third in the 60-meter hurdles to join Patterson as a men’s bronze medalists, and ACC student-athletes earned fourth-place finishes in five events.
The ACC won four bronze medals in women’s competition – NC State’s Elly Henes in the 5,000 meters, Florida State’s Ruta Lasmane in the triple jump, Duke’s Erin Marsh in the pentathlon and the Florida State DMR team of Alyson Churchill, Edidiong Odiong, Yasmine Abbes and Maudie Skyring. ACC women also had fourth-place finishes in five events.
Please see below for ACC finishes in each event at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track. ACC records (^) and personal bests (*) are indicated.
Student-athletes who placed first through eighth in their respective events earned first-team All-America honors. Positions 9 through 16 were recognized as second-team All-Americans.
ACC MEN’S NCAA INDOOR TIMES/MARKS
60 meters
7. Sterling Warner-Savage, Louisville – 6.67
9. Taylor Banks, Florida State – 6.66
12. Don’drea Swint, Florida State – 6.70
14. Fabian Hewitt, Clemson – 6.78
200 meters
7. Terryon Conwell, Clemson – 21.09
400 meters
3. Jacory Patterson, Virginia Tech – 45.14^*
13. Isaiah Palmer, North Carolina – 46.57
800 meters
4. Sam Voelz, Notre Dame – 1:47.62*
8. Bashir Mosavel-Lo, Virginia Tech – 1:51.83
Mile
7. Benjamin Nibbelink, Virginia Tech – 3:58.34*
3000 meters
9. Antonio Lopez Segura, Virginia Tech – 7:55.87
13. Andrew Kent, Georgia Tech – 7:58.34
14. Benjamin Nibbelink, Virginia Tech – 7:59.74
16. Ben Fleming, Virginia Tech – 8:08.12
5000 meters
4. Adriaan Wildschutt, Florida State – 13:30.35^*
60m hurdles
3. Trey Cunningham, Florida State – 7.53
13. Giano Roberts, Clemson – 7.83
Distance Medley Relay
4. North Carolina – 9:25.80 (Thomas Ratcliffe, Isaiah Palmer, Allen Siegler, Brandon Tubby)
5. Virginia Tech – 9:27.67, (Ethan Mills, Patrick Forrest, Thierry Siewe Yanga, Ben Fleming)
High Jump
HM. Greg Lauray, Pitt – NH
Long Jump
2. Isaac Grimes, Florida State – 8.35m (27-4.75)^*
5. Jeremiah Davis, Florida State – 7.87m (25-10)
14. Von Douglas, NC State – 7.30m (23-11.5)
16. Cameron O’Neal, Georgia Tech – 6.91m (22-8)
Triple Jump
6. Owayne Owens, Virginia – 16.53m (54-2.75)*
Shot put
4. Daniel McArthur, North Carolina – 19.84m (65-1.25)
Heptathlon
4. Felix Wolter, Pitt – 5907*
ACC WOMEN’S NCAA MARKS
60 meters
5. Alfreda Steele, Miami – 7.22*
8. Halle Hazzard, Virginia – 7.27
11. Jayla Kirkland, Florida State – 7.28
200 meters
12. Trishauna Hemmings, Clemson – 23.59
800 meters
2. Laurie Barton, Clemson – 2:01.21^*
4. Lindsey Butler, Virginia Tech – 2:02.15
9. Leigha Torino, Duke – 2:05.74
13. Aleeya Hutchins, Wake Forest – 2:08.44
14. Kayla Johnson, Miami – 2:09.57
15. Andrea Foster, Clemson – 2:13.44
3000 meters
8. Maudie Skyring, Florida State – 9:09.05
11. Alyson Churchill, Florida State – 9:14.91
12. Elly Henes, NC State – 9:19.29
13. Olivia Markezich, Notre Dame – 9:21.74
14. Hannah Brookover, Wake Forest – 9:28.70
5000 meters
3. Elly Henes, NC State – 15:49.96
8. Hannah Steelman, NC State – 15:55.65
11. Kelsey Chmiel, NC State – 16:12.73
12. Rebecca Clark, Florida State - 16:18.29
60m hurdles
4. Tiara McMinn, Miami – 8.01
8. Trishauna Hemmings, Clemson - 8.16
12. Erin Marsh, Duke – 8.24
Distance Medley Relay
3. Florida State 10:59.16 – (Alyson Churchill, Edidiong Odiong, Yasmine Abbes, Maudie Skyring)
7. NC State – 11:06.14 (Alexis Postell, Anna Vess, Katelyn Touhy, Savannah Shaw)*
11. Virginia Tech – 11:20.32 (Grace Boone, Ariana Rivera, Lindsey Butler, Maxana Grubb)
Pole Vault
4. Rachel Baxter, Virginia Tech – 4.36m (14-3.5)
13. Aliyah Welter, Louisville – 4.16m (13-7.25)
14. Oliva Moore, Georgia Tech – 4.16m (13-7.25)
Long Jump
10. Anna Keefer, North Carolina – 6.35m (20-10)
11. Jada Seaman, Virginia – 6.33m (20-9.25)
Triple Jump
3. Ruta Lasmane, Florida State – 14.15m (46-5.25)*
9. Alonie Sutton, Florida State – 13.29m (43-7.25)
Shot Put
4. Essence Henderson, Virginia Tech – 17.36m*
Weight Throw
1. Makenli Forrest, Louisville – 23.26m (76-3.75)*
2. Rachel Tanczos, Notre Dame – 23.24m (76-3)
11. Halee Hudson, Louisville – 21.05m (69-0.75)
12. Debbie Ajagbe, Miami – 20.38m (66-10.5)
Penthatlon
3. Erin Marsh, Duke – 4344*
4. Jadin O’Brien, Notre Dame – 4296*
12. Anna Bush, Wake Forest – 3984
13. Alix Still, Virginia – 3904
*- Personal Best
^ - ACC Record
ACC MEN’S TEAM PLACE/SCORING
6. Florida State 23
t-16. Virginia Tech 11
t-16. North Carolina 10
t-37. Pitt 5
t-37. Notre Dame 5
t-46. Virginia 3
t-53. Louisville 2
t-53. Clemson 2
ACC WOMEN’S TEAM PLACE/SCORING
14. Virginia Tech 15
t-16. Florida State 13
t-16. Notre Dame 13
t-20. Louisville 10
t-24. Clemson 9
t-24. Miami 9
t-24. NC State 9
t-29. Duke 6
52. Virginia 1