Hokies End ACC Championships In Fine Style


Mondschein sets Ketner Stadium Record


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Virginia Tech track and field teams ended the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in fine style Saturday afternoon at Ketner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University.

The women\'s team finished fifth with 73.50 points, up from ninth last year at the outdoor championships, while the men took home a seventh-place finish with 58 points.

\"Overall, I thought we had an outstanding meet,\" Director of Track & Field Dave Cianelli said. \"We performed at or above expectations on both sides. Both had excellent meets as a team. From a competitive standpoint, we did just about everything we possibly could.\"

Senior pole vaulter Brian Mondschein captured his third ACC title after clearing 5.40m (17\'8.50\"). His vault established a Ketner Stadium record, breaking the mark set by Tech\'s Chris Williams in 1994. For his efforts, he earned All-ACC honors.

\"Brian was dominant in the vault,\" Cianelli said. It\'s a nice way to end his conference career.\"

Senior Saskia Triesscheijn continued her outstanding performance at the meet, garnering All-ACC honors in the javelin. Triesscheijn was second in the event with a throw of 44.35m (145\'6\"). She also competed in and scored in the high jump. Triesscheijn cleared 1.65m (5\'5\"), finishing in seventh place.

Freshman Patrice Potts earned All-ACC accolades for her third-place finish in the 100m. She finished with a time of 11.68. Potts also took home eighth place in the 200m, finishing in 25.09.

Although Tasmin Fanning did not earn all-conference honors, she did cross the line eighth in the 5,000m with a time of 16:51.94, earning herself a spot at the NCAA East Region meet.

\"She came back with a great effort today,\" Cianelli said. \"Halfway through the race she was close to 20th. Over the last couple of laps she started picking off people and ended up eighth.\"

Sophomore Billy Berlin narrowly missed being an all-conference performer in the 1,500m. Berlin placed fourth in the event with a time of 3:48.67.

Fellow sophomore Ashleigh Keats improved on last year\'s ninth-place finish in the javelin at the conference meet by finishing fourth with a throw of 41.99m (137\'9\").

In addition to Mondschein taking home the title in the pole vault, two other Tech student-athletes tallied points in the event. Juniors Adam Bingaman and Joe Samaniuk each placed sixth, clearing 4.70m (15\'5\").

The men\'s 4x100m team, consisting of Jordan Price, Kendall Cones, Matt Renninger and David Clowney recorded a time of 42.25, also finishing sixth.

Junior Meredith Brooks earned a sixth-place finish in the 800m after crossing the line in 2:10.07.

Sophomore Britni Spruill was sixth in the 200m with a time of 24.20. Spruill also scored a point in the 100m with an effort of 12.29, finishing eighth.

Price finished seventh in the 400m with a time of 48.09. He also helped the 4x400m relay team place eighth in 3:16.69. Cones, Renninger and Alexander Johnson were also on the relay team.

Senior Gunild Kreb scored in her second event of the weekend with an eighth-place finish in the javelin. Kreb had a throw of 38.77m (127\'2\").

Keosha Sanders also had an eighth-place finish on the day. Sanders recorded a time of 1:04.88 in the 400m hurdles.

Jessica Fanning just missed scoring for the Hokies when she placed 10th in the 1,500m. Fanning had a time of 4:31.39 in the event. Sophomore Stephen Huntzinger was 10th in the discus with a throw of 44.26m (145\'2\").

\"Next year bodes well for us,\" Cianelli said. \"We return a lot of standouts, including some that we redshirted. With those people back and the ones coming in, we have a good foundation for the next couple of years.\"

The Hokies return to action on April 27 when they attend the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. The meet runs through the 29th of the month. Some of the team will travel to Palo Alto, Calif., and participate in the Stanford Invitational on April 30.