Meet: Virginia Challenge
Location: Charlottesville, Va. (Lannigan Field)
 
The short story: Freshman Indira O'Neil recorded two personal bests at the Virginia Challenge, leading the way for VCU in their final regular season meet ahead of the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships.
 
HURDLES

• In the 400-meter hurdles, O'Neil posted a personal best time of 1:03.14 to place 12th in a field of over 30 competitors. Fellow freshmen Tori Lewis and June Hobaugh followed closely behind, with Lewis clocking in at 1:03.26 and Hobaugh at 1:03.63
• O'Neil also notched a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles as well, finishing with a time of 14.19 seconds. Lewis recorded a personal best time in the 100 hurdles also
• Sophomore Myzhane Solomon finished just behind O'Neil, recording a time of 14.38 seconds, just shy of her personal best of 14.33 

SPRINTS

• Asia Powell qualified for the 100-meter finals, posting her best time of 11.61 seconds in the prelims
• Graduate Lauryn Taylor recorded a time of 11.88 seconds in the 100-meter dash to finish 15th, while Mabel Alagbe followed closely with a time of 11.97 seconds
• In the 400-meter dash, Jaliyah Person posted a time of 55.54 seconds to finish 23rd in a field of 76 competitors. Jordyn Evans and Jaylin Pate also competed in the event, recording times of 57.79 and 58.73 seconds, respectively
• Taylor led the Rams in the 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 24.37 seconds to place 14th overall

THROWS

• Anaya Harris shattered her personal best in the discus, notching a top distance of 49.08 meters to place tenth. Harris currently sits as the top distance in the A-10

• In the Hammer Invite, Gudrun Hallgrimsdottir recorded a top throw of 67.65 meters to place fourth. The three athletes who posted longer marks were all unattached from collegiate programs. Hallgrimsdottir currently holds the top mark in the A-10, the best throw in VCU history and the fifth-best mark in NCAA Division I this season
• Madison Griffin set a new personal best in the javelin for the second consecutive weekend, recording a top distance of 46.35 meters to finish sixth. Griffin holds the second-best mark in both VCU history and the A-10 this season
• Sophomore Blanca Pereira recorded a top throw of 54.80 meters in the hammer, finishing ninth in a field of 32 competitors 

DISTANCE

• In the 800-meter race, Nia Warren and Sabria Wooden both set personal bests with times of 2:12.25 and 2:14.54, respectively. Warren's time earned her a spot in the top 20
• Ava Miller recorded a time of 11:51.05 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, representing the Rams as the sole competitor in the event
• Senior Nia Warren recorded a time of 4:45.23 in the 1500-meter race 

Next up
The Rams will next travel to Fairfax, Va., to compete in the A-10 Outdoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4. The women's team aims to defend their conference title after securing first place with a team score of 136 in the 2024 season.