April 26, 2006

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Behind a dominant performance from the Virginia Tech men's hammer throw squad and senior pole vaulter Brian Mondschein, the Hokie men earned the No. 9 spot in the Trackwire 25 power rankings, tying the best position in school history.

On April 10, the Tech men's program was elevated to its highest-ever power rankings at No. 9. The Hokies are projected to tally 23 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held June 7-10, in Sacramento, Calif.

Freshman Mohsen Anani won the hammer throw with a season-best mark of 70.55m (231'5"), while senior defending national champion Spyridon Jullien had a mark of 69.13m (226'10") for second place. Freshman Matej Muza earned fourth with a personal-best throw of 65.15m (213'9").

Mondschein won the pole vault title by clearing 5.40m (17'8.50"). It was his third ACC title and fifth conference crown in his Tech tenure.

The Trackwire 25 is a projection of how teams could finish at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with meet scores.

In the third USTFCCCA poll that was released on Tuesday, April 25, the men's team continued its stranglehold on the 11^th spot for the second consecutive week. The first USTFCCCA poll that was released on April 11, had the Hokies at No. 10.

Four student-athletes return to action this weekend. Mondschein will compete at the Penn Relays on April 29 while senior Dave Atkiss will participate in the 5,000m at the Cardinal Invitational on April 30. Juniors Adam Bingaman and Joe Samaniuk will partake in the pole vault at the Knoxville Invitational on April 30.