Track and Field Programs Announce 2010-11 Schedule

Women's Track and Field VMIKeydets.com

Track and Field Programs Announce 2010-11 Schedule

LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI track and field programs have announced their 2010-11 schedule, according to information released by the program Thursday.

The Keydets will open at the home of the ECAC Championships, the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Mass. Northeastern University will host the season opener on Dec. 4, after which the Keydets will not be in action for close to two months.

VMI is back in action on Jan. 28-29, beginning the season in earnest with two meets. The majority of the squad will go across the Blue Ridge Mountains to Liberty, while several Keydets will travel to Reno, Nev. for the UCS National Pole Vault Summit. The nationally recognized event will feature not only competition on the final day, involving nearly 1,500 vaulters, but will also include speeches and training sessions. The speakers will include Vitaly Petrov, who has served as the head coach for Sergei Bubka, perhaps the greatest pole vaulter of all time.

The Keydets then host the VMI Winter Relays on Feb. 5, before traveling to Akron, Ohio for the Akron Invitational. The meet is a staple on the Keydet schedule, and saw VMI post several IC4A qualifying marks last season. In addition to Akron, selected VMI competitors will travel to Seattle, Wash. for a meet at the University of Washington. That event is also scheduled for Feb. 11 and 12.

“I am excited about our schedule this year,” said VMI's Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Darrin Webb. “We maintained many of our staple events that have historically helped us prepare for the championship part of our season, and we also added a couple of venues that I believe will have a large impact on our ability to have fast times going into the Conference Championship and to help us qualify individuals to the IC4A/ECAC Championships and the NCAA Championships.”

The next event on the Keydet schedule is another traditional meet, the Virginia Tech Invitational. Felix Kitur has dominated that meet in his career, breaking the VMI 800-meter record for the first time as a freshman before also winning the event last season.

The meet in Blacksburg, Va. will comprise two days, Feb. 18 and 19 and will be followed by the Big South Championships the following weekend in Clemson, S.C. The Keydet women's squad will be looking to follow up on last year's efforts, where the team posted an all-time high for points scored, led by Hannah Granger and Kate Collins each claiming event titles. The indoor season then concludes with the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston, Mass. (March 5-6) and the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas (March 10-12).

For the second time in three years, VMI and crosstown school Washington & Lee will combine to host an invitational to open the outdoor season. That event is set for March 25 and 26, and the following weekend, VMI's teams will split into groupings, with some competitors going to Liberty University and others traveling to Duke for meets.

April 10 sends the Keydets to Fairfax, Va. for a meet at George Mason, before traveling to events at High Point and Virginia April 15 and 16. VMI will then host the Big South Championships, a three-day meet which will get underway April 21.

“I am also very excited to have the opportunity to host the 2011 Big South Championships, as this opportunity only comes around once every six to eight years,” said Coach Webb. “Our staff, with the help of the Institute, looks forward to putting on a first class event that all of VMI and our supporters will be proud to be part of.  It is always good to have an opportunity to compete at the conference championship level at your home facility, with the backing of all those who support and follow our programs.”

VMI's last chance meet this season will take place at Radford April 29-30, and is the Keydets' final event before they progress into the Championship portions of the schedule. The IC4A/ECAC Championships (May 13-15), NCAA Regionals (May 26-28) and NCAA Championships (June 8-11) close out the season, in Princeton, N.J., Bloomington, Ind. and Des Moines, Iowa respectively.
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Players Mentioned

Hannah Granger

Hannah Granger

Distance
Junior
Kate Collins

Kate Collins

Pole Vault
Sophomore
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Mid-Distance
Senior

Players Mentioned

Hannah Granger

Hannah Granger

Junior
Distance
Kate Collins

Kate Collins

Sophomore
Pole Vault
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Senior
Mid-Distance