PRINCETON, N.J. -- A handful of VCU Track & Field team student-athletes competed at the 2015 ECAC/IC4A Invitational over the weekend, looking for their last chance of the outdoor season to improve upon times and marks, and to qualify for the NCAA East Regional.
- Brandon Ruffin took home silver in the shot put with a throw of 17.87m. Teammate Ryan Coles placed seventh in the event at 16.78m.
- In the discus, Coles picked up a bronze medal with a mark of 53.85m. Ruffin placed sixth in the event at 51.21m.
- The 4x100m relay team (Nicholas Buckingham, Tehquin Warrick, George Moore andKareem Payne) crossed the line at 42.04 in the prelims. The 4x400m team (Warrick, Kahlil Shepard, Buckingham and Moore) placed 13th in the prelims at 3:15.01
- The Rams took home gold in the both the 4x100m (Verna Hilaire-Lee, Kiara Porter,Nicole Grasty and Carina Peter) and 4x400m (Porter, Grasty, Amethyst Polk, andNichelle Scott) relays, crossing the line at 45.49 and 3:37.73, respectively. The time of 3:37.73 in the 4x400m relay, is a new school record.
- Denise O'Rourke recorded a fifth place finish in the discus with a mark of 48.27m
- Alexis Stroman crossed the line at 14.10 in the 100-meter hurdle semifinals
- In the 800m semifinals, Niema Eaves finished in the top-25 with a time of 2:13.42
QUOTABLE: "I'm so proud of both the men's and women's program," said head coach Jon Riley. "They both had their ups and downs throughout the season but they always stepped-up when it counted the most. This weekend was one of those special weekends where things seemed to click. Ryan Coles bettered his discus mark, Brandon Ruffin PR'd in the shot put and the women quartet of Porter, Grasty, Polk and Scott, won the ECAC 4x400m relay with a time that should guarantee them a spot in the NCAA East Preliminary Round. The women also won the ECAC 4x100m relay but I don't think their time was good enough to make it to the Preliminary Round. Again, I'm so proud of the entire team and I want to wish a speedy recovery to Briana Ratchford, Xavier Waller and DeNisha Smith."
Up Next: Kiara Porter, Brandon Ruffin, Ryan Coles, and Denise O'Rourke will continue their season at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Regional on May 28-30 in Jacksonville, Fla.
