Vestri Wins 10k at Virginia Challenge

Friday, April 16

Charlottesville, VA

Syracuse University

Virginia Challenge

Photo by: Dawson Powers | The ACC

4/17/2021 7:32:00 AM | Track and Field

Orange open weekend with strong distance performances

Amanda Vestri won the women's 10000-meter run with a new meet and track record, crossing the line in 32:43.15, beating NC State's Ashley Tutt by over 40 seconds to secure the win.

Vestri, the ACC indoor 5000-meter champion, was competing in her first 10k in an Orange uniform, but her time was only four seconds off her personal best, which she set at the 2019 Stanford Invitational while at Iowa State.

Vestri's time ranks third nationally to date compared to those who raced prior to this weekend.

JP Trojan also had an excellent first 10k in a 'Cuse uniform, finishing in 28:55.00, which was good for third overall. Joe Dragon (29:28.83) took 11th and Alex Comerford (30:06.09) finished 18th in the invite section.

In the open 10k, Silas Derfal placed third for the Orange, racing to a time of 29:28.39, while Dom Hockenbury wasn't far off with a mark of 29:57.79 in 14th.

Justus Holden-Betts turned in a personal-best time in the 3000-meter steeplechase, crossing the line in 10:34.00. Her time was good for 12th in the 25-runner field.

Annie Heffernan also raced to a 12th-place finish in her race – the women's 5000-meters – finishing in 16:07.88. Abigail Spiers finished 21st in 16:20.89, while Emma Eastman finished 38th in the event that featured 57 competitors.

Matthew Scrape (14:16.21, Nathan Lawler (14:17.49) and Simon Smith (14:27.40) represented the Orange in the men's 5k. Scrape was the top finisher of the bunch, taking 30th overall.

Syracuse has runners set to compete at Auburn this weekend as well, with those events set to begin on Saturday.