BOSTON, Mass. - VMI's Felix Kitur obliterated his own Big South 800-meter record and paced the 4X800-meter relay team's breaking of a 32-year-old school record as well, leading the VMI track and field programs on the first day of the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston, Mass.
In the open 800, Kitur's time of 1:48.35 was more than seven-tenths of a second faster than the previous school and conference best, which the senior set Feb. 19 at Virginia Tech. He was also the fastest qualifier for tomorrow's final by nearly one full second, was just .16 seconds off of the IC4A record, set in 1987, and was .35 off of the NCAA automatic qualification standard. The effort moves Kitur to 15th on the Division I performance list, and sets the stage for a possible bid to the NCAA National Championships, which are contested March 10-12 in College Station, Texas.
Kitur was also involved in the 4X800-meter relay, which clocked in at 7:31.18 to break a record that had stood since 1979 and post the seventh-fastest time in Division I this season. Kitur, Jacob Lysher (1:53.2), Andrey Dmitriev (1:54.9) and Dean Gonsalves (1:51.8) teamed up to break the previous mark of 7:38.01 by nearly seven full seconds. Lysher, Dmitriev and Gonsalves all ran lifetime best splits, as the Keydets posted the top qualifying time for Sunday's finals.
"Felix ran two great races today," said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. "His open 800 time places him 15th on the national performance list, and I am very hopeful that will be high enough to make next week's NCAA Championships. He, Coach Spangler and the whole training group have done a great job, as evidenced today in the 4X800. I am excited to watch both finals tomorrow. I'm also very pleased with Jenna Moye's successes this year, as she has worked very hard and her triumphs are well deserved."
Also in action for the VMI men, Dmitriev took part in the open mile, finishing 15th. He posted a collegiate-best time of 4:10.11, while in the 200-meters, James Alexander clocked in at 22.19, placing him 30th overall.
In the long jump, Antonio Wood's jump of 6.72 meters (22'0 3/4") was good enough for 17th, while Nate Gant leapt 6.53 M (21'5 ¼"), which placed him 26th. Both were making their IC4A debut.
Wrapping up Saturday's IC4A action, Chad Lawson was one of three competitors in the weight throw who failed to record a mark, while the distance medley relay, comprised of Ermin Mujezinovic, Kyle Fuller, Jason Thorpe and Cabell Willis, was 21st, finishing in 10:13.53.
Across Boston at the ECAC Championships, Moye narrowly missed qualifying for the finals of the mile. Moye, making her ECAC debut after setting two Keydet records this indoor season, finished 11th in the event with a time of 4:57.76, missing the finals by just one-tenth of a second. Still, it was the second best time in VMI history and Moye's second time to run a sub-five minute mile in the past month. She remains the only Keydet woman to ever accomplish that feat.
VMI track and field will return to action Sunday, as the Keydets resume the IC4A and ECAC Championship meets. Action is set to get underway at 9:30 a.m. at Boston University, site of the IC4A meet, while the ECAC meet will begin at 11 a.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Watch more video of 2011 IC4A Indoor Championships on flotrack.org
