Pirate Track & Field Set to Compete at Hokie Invitational
January 23, 2015 | Track & Field
GREENVILLE, N.C. - After a pair of third-place finishes at the Carolina Cup last weekend, the East Carolina track and field squad is back in action this weekend when the Pirates take part in the Hokie Invitational hosted by Virginia Tech. Competition begins Friday, January 23 and concludes Saturday, January 24.
ECU will be competing with several top programs including Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, NC State, Wake Forest Charlotte and Appalachian State. Additionally, the Pirates will go head-to-head with teams in which they have not had much experience with such as Radford, VCU, Liberty and Richmond.
"We are going to see teams this weekend that we don't normally see during the year," Head coach Curt Kraft explained. "We will have some great competition against many ACC teams that will bring out the best in us. I have reminded our teams that we only have so many opportunities to get ready for the American Athletic Conference Championships. This meet will help us prepare for bigger, upcoming meets. I would expect that we will continue to set many personal records and hopefully set some school records."
Last season, the Pirates won five events at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational including a school record-setting performance by Kayla Padgett in the women's weight throw. Padgett won the event with a heave of 21.55-meters (70' 8"). Additionally, Avion Jones won the high jump after tying his then-career-best mark of 2.15-meters (7' 0.5").
The Pirates also turned in several strong performances on the track as they were led by Erin Tucker's first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.41. Despite losing Tucker to graduation, the Pirates have a number of sprinters including Jasmine Dawson, Aiesha Goggins, Tyshonda Hawkins and Tania Minkins to fill the void.
Minkins is the school-record holder in the 60-meter dash (7.39), while Hawkins owns the school standard in the 200-meter dash (23.62) and Aiesha Goggins sits atop the record book in both the 400-meter (53.80) and 500-meter dash (1:13.90). The trio also owns the school record, along with Tiffany Harris, in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:34.02.
With a number of talented student-athletes, the Pirates are looking to leave their mark on the Hokie Invitational this weekend and come away with several event wins.
East Carolina will be back in Blacksburg, Va., in two weeks to compete in the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite Meet, following action at the Penn State National January 30 and 31.
Players Mentioned
