Maryland at Virginia Challenge & Johns Hopkins/Loyola Invitational
April 20-21Â 2024
Charlottesville, VA & Baltimore, MD
1:45Â PMÂ (20th), 11:00Â AMÂ (21st)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - The Maryland track and field team will stay local this weekend for a split meet weekend at the UVA Challenge and the Hopkins/Loyola Invitational.
Last Time Out (Long Beach and Bryan Clay Invitationals)
- Kayla Thorpe broke her own school record in the women's javelin record in Long Beach, tossing 51.69m, becoming the first female Terp to throw over 50m in the javelin under new reguations
- Kami Joi Hickson ran a new personal best in the women's 800m, crossing the finish line in 2:08.15 at the Bryan Clay InvitationalÂ
- Jeff Kline took third place in the men's shot put in Long Beach
The newcomers and the veterans
- The Terps return several stellar student-athletes from last year's team, including senior Jeff Kline. Kline, a Blandon, PA native, not only competed at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last season, but also competed at USATF Indoor Championships last February, going up against some of the best shot-putters in the country.
- Sophomores Tolu Akinduro and Rhys Allen are also back for their second season as Terps following a summer in which they both competed in domestic championships. Akinduro competed for Canada at the U20 Pan-American games in the triple jump, while Allen competed for Great Britain at the U20 European Championships in the discus.
- The Terps also welcome a strong freshman class, highlighted by high-jumper Jennessa Wolfe. The Nova Scotia native competed alongside Akinduro at the U20 Pan-American games in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where she won the gold medal in the women's high jump with a jump that cleared 1.71m, which also would have placed her in the top-10 of last year's Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Read more about Wolfe's journey to College Park here.
Last Year at the UVA challenge & hopkins/loyola invitational
- Jeff Kline set his new personal best in the men's shot put throwing 19.11m at the UVA ChallengeÂ
- Brandon James entered the record books with his 200m run, crossing the finish line in 21.25 seconds, putting him in tenth all-time in school history at the UVA ChallengeÂ
- Anna Coffin set a new personal best in the women's 800m
Current terps in the Outdoor Maryland All-Time Top Ten
The Terps have sixteen current student-athletes who hold spots in the school's all-time outdoor top ten.
Meet the coaches
- Head Coach Andrew Valmon is in his 21st season with the Terps track and field team. Valmon brings an abundance of experience, having been the head coach of U.S.A. Track and Field for 2012 Olympic Games, a 2-time Olympic Gold medalist, being part of the U.S.A's 4x400 team in both 1988 and 1992.Â
- Associate Head Coach Danielle Siebert is entering her 15th season as a coach with Maryland, and boasts an impressive resume as a member of the U.S.A Track and Field, serving on multiple International team staffs. Siebert also competed for the Terps from 2002-2006. Â
