Sing and Kitur Pace VMI Track and Field at George Mason

Men's Track and Field VMIKeydets.com

Kitur Cracks Division I Top-Five at Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Va. – VMI's Felix Kitur equaled the fifth-fastest 800-meter time in Division I this year, posting a 1:47.78 clocking as he finished second Thursday evening at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier, hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

The 1:47.78 time was the second-fastest of Kitur's career, and also the second quickest in VMI history. It trailed only his 1:46.75 effort at the 2008 NCAA East Regionals, was the third-fastest time in that region this season and tied Cory Primm of UCLA for the fifth-fastest effort in the entirety of Division I. Kitur's time was bested only by freshman Robby Andrews of Virginia Thursday night, this year's NCAA Indoor Champion.

The men's 800-meters was expected to be the highlight of the Liberty Twilight meet, as it would feature not only Kitur and Andrews, but Lance Roller and Stephen Finley of Virginia as well, along with former UVA All-American Andrew Jesien, now competing for a club based in Charlottesville. The three current Cavaliers came in red-hot, as they had each been a part of UVA's 4X800-meter relay win at last weekend's Penn Relays, which saw Andrews chase down 2008 Olympian Andrew Wheating late in the race to give Virginia the win.

The weather would play a factor as well, as the conditions were calm and cool for the start of the event. Finley, a renowned steeplechaser, took the race out quickly and then dropped out early in the second lap. That left the lead for Roller, who handed Andrews the only loss of his young career at the ACC Outdoor Championships. Andrews held second with Kitur third, as the trio headed down the backstretch on the final lap.

Going into the final corner, Andrews made a move for the win as he went to Roller's outside. This left Kitur boxed in between the two UVA runners, but as Andrews took the lead, the VMI standout darted to the outside to get free. Unfortunately for VMI, Kitur's furious kick came up just short, as Andrews prevailed by just .05 seconds in one of the fastest 800-meter races in the country this season.

In other results, Ian McGinn also had a solid performance in the 800, as he finished third in his section with a personal-best time of 1:54.49, good enough for 10th overall. Ermin Mujezinovic was 13th, also in a personal-best time (1:55.57), and Jason Thorpe completed the trio of PR's with a 1:56.75 to finish 17th.

The throwers were also quite impressive, despite blustery conditions when the meet began. Junior Cody Davis finished in the top seven of three different events, nearly posting personal bests in each. He opened with a runner-up finish in the shot put, hurling the implement 15.89 M (52'1 ¾”) before coming back for a seventh-place in the discus throw, where he earned a personal best with his 42.73 M toss (140'2”). Davis then capped off his day with a sixth-place finish in the hammer, thanks to a personal best heave of 51.17 M (167'10”).

Fellow thrower and team co-captain Chad Lawson also had a strong day, including a personal-best in the discus, where he placed fourth with a 48.60 M (159'5”) toss. He was then eighth in the hammer, with a heave of 47.27 M (155'1”). The javelin throwers also placed in the top-eight of their event, with Justin McCarthy finishing eighth (46.37 M/152'1”) and Tyler Brown coming home seventh (48.51 M/159'2”). James Handler wrapped up the throwing results for the day, finishing sixth in the shot put with a distance of 13.26 M (43'6”).

The jumpers were also in action, as Terrance Green and Dennis James took part in the afternoon's proceedings. Green finished 11th in the long jump with a 6.83 M effort (22'5”), while James was fifth in the high jump, thanks to a mark of 1.94 M (6'4 ¼”). Antonio Wood also took part in the high jump, finishing seventh (1.89 M/6'2 ¼”).

The next event for VMI track and field is currently scheduled to be the IC4A/ECAC Championships, which will get underway on Friday, May 14 in Princeton, N.J.
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Players Mentioned

Tyler Brown

Tyler Brown

Throws
Sophomore
Cody Davis

Cody Davis

Throws
Junior
Terrance Green

Terrance Green

Jumps/Sprints
Junior
James Handler

James Handler

Throws
Junior
Dennis James

Dennis James

High Jump
Junior
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Mid-Distance
Junior
Chad Lawson

Chad Lawson

Throws
Junior
Justin McCarthy

Justin McCarthy

Javelin
Sophomore
Ian McGinn

Ian McGinn

Mid-Distance
Freshman
Ermin Mujezinovic

Ermin Mujezinovic

Distance
Junior
Jason Thorpe

Jason Thorpe

Distance
Freshman
Antonio Wood

Antonio Wood

Multis/High Jump
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tyler Brown

Tyler Brown

Sophomore
Throws
Cody Davis

Cody Davis

Junior
Throws
Terrance Green

Terrance Green

Junior
Jumps/Sprints
James Handler

James Handler

Junior
Throws
Dennis James

Dennis James

Junior
High Jump
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Junior
Mid-Distance
Chad Lawson

Chad Lawson

Junior
Throws
Justin McCarthy

Justin McCarthy

Sophomore
Javelin
Ian McGinn

Ian McGinn

Freshman
Mid-Distance
Ermin Mujezinovic

Ermin Mujezinovic

Junior
Distance
Jason Thorpe

Jason Thorpe

Freshman
Distance
Antonio Wood

Antonio Wood

Freshman
Multis/High Jump