The West Virginia University track and field team wrapped up its weekend with a strong showing at the Stan Romanoski Open, held on Saturday, May 3rd at The Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park in Morgantown, West Virginia. The meet welcomed athletes from various programs, offering WVU a competitive yet familiar environment to close out the weekend. Read more Mountaineers Find Success on Their Home Turf.
Stan Romanoski Open
The highlight of the home event came in the women’s 3,000 meters, where sophomore Lexi Lamb boasted a personal best time of 9:39.38, placing first in the event. Joy Naukot – who has been a standout performer throughout the season thus far – made her collegiate debut in the 1,500 meters, where she impressively took first place with a time of 4:19.78.
Another first-place performance came from sophomore Eva Rinker, where she collected a career best time of 2:15.21 in the 800 meters. Her strong finish marked another breakthrough for WVU’s middle-distance group, which has steadily improved throughout the outdoor season. Olivia Cress, a redshirt sophomore, also collected a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.65 seconds.
Annishka McDonald made impressive strides in the field, placing first in the high jump at 1.75 meters. Freshman Sabria Jones competed in the long jump and placed second with a leap of 5.48 meters.
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WVU’s Last Home Meet
The Big 12 Outdoor Championships, as well as the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, are approaching fast. The Big 12 Outdoor Championships are to be held on May 15th through the 17th, in Lawrence, Kansas, at Rock Chalk Park. The NCAA East Preliminary Rounds are set for May 28th through the 31st in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.
WVU’s last regular season meet will be held at home and is titled WVU Last Chance. In the 2023-24 season, the WVU Last Chance resulted in three gold medals collected by the Mountaineers. Mountaineer Mikenna Vanderheyden claimed first in the women’s 800 meter with a time of 2:07.03. Lily Haught placed first in two events, both the women’s 200 and 400 meters with respective times of 25.64 and 58.63. Along with the first-place finishes, there were multiple competitors that received personal bests as well.
The WVU Last Chance meet served as a valuable springboard for postseason success last year, making its timing ideal once again as the Mountaineers gear up for the Big 12 Outdoor Championship.
The Mountaineers have continued to show depth across events this season, with consistent improvements and strong performances from both veterans and newcomers. Saturday’s meet provided an opportunity for athletes to fine-tune before the championship competition begins. With standout performances like Lamb’s and Naukot’s, and several personal bests across the board, the team appears to be peaking at the right time. With momentum building, the team looks to carry this success into postseason meets, where every second and centimeter could make a difference. The upcoming WVU Last Chance meet will offer one final opportunity to sharpen before conference action begins.
Mountaineers Find Success on Their Home Turf.
