Virginia Tech Claims Two More ACC Track & Field Titles

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Virginia Tech track and field claimed two more ACC titles on the second day of the Atlantic Coast Conference indoor championships at North Carolina.

\"We had an outstanding day,\" said head coach Dave Cianelli. \"Our athletes competed well in this tough and new environment. This is the boost we needed before the final day.\"

Brian Mondschein (Jr., Hummelstown, Pa.), of Tech No. 22 men\'s team, cleared 16\'10.75\" (5.15m) to grab the ACC men\'s pole vault title, which earned him 10 teams points.

Cianelli added, \"I am proud of Brian. He did an awesome job today by winning his third conference championship in the pole vault. Coach Phillips has done a great job working with him to improve his height.\"

Mondschein, Virginia Tech\'s Nextel Athlete of the Week, now has claimed three conference titles in his Hokie career. He won the pole vault event at the 2003 and 2004 BIG EAST indoor championships. Mondschein is currently the fifth ranked pole vaulter in division I and now has his sights on the NCAA championships on Mar. 11-12 in Fayetteville.

The Hokies women\'s distance medley relay team of Natalie Sherbak (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.), Victoria Green (Jr, Chesapeake, Va.), Meredith Brooks (So., Burke, Va.) and Jessica Fanning (Fr., Charlottesville, Va.) ran the DMR in 11:39.20 for the ACC title and 10 team points. The relay team missed the school record by five seconds but now rank second in Tech\'s all-time performance list. NC State\'s relay team came in second with 11:39.55.

\"The highlight of the day had to be our women\'s distance medley relay team winning the event on the last 20 meters by a freshman. NC State pretty much lead the whole way. On the fourth and final hand off, Jessica was the fourth person to grab the baton. She chased down Renee Gunning of NC State, who by the way is a senior, and beat her on the last 20 meters of the race,\" added Cianelli. \"Their victory is so sweet because we weren\'t even expecting it.\"

After day two of the conference championships, Miami sits in first place on the women\'s side with 48 total points, followed by North Carolina in second (30.50) and Virginia Tech in third (26). Duke is fourth with 25 points, while Wake Forest is fifth with 22 points. Rounding out spots sixth through 11 are Georgia Tech (20), Maryland (16), NC State (14), Florida State (14), Clemson (10) and Virginia (6.5).

For the men, Clemson leads all teams with 58 points, followed in second place with Florida State (40) and North Carolina in third (33). Virginia Tech is in fourth place (31.50), while Virginia is fifth with 20 points. Rounding out spots six through 11 are NC State (13.50), Wake Forest (12), Maryland (11), Georgia Tech (8), Duke (5) and Miami (2).

Tomorrow is the final day of the 2005 ACC indoor tack and field championships. Action begins at 11 a.m. with the women\'s shot put and the championships finish with the 4x400-meter relays at 4 p.m.