Running a personal best time of 4:05 Jahanzib Shahbaz ’21 concluded a spectacular indoor season by placing third in the men’s IC4A mile run, contested March 7-8 at the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Randall K. Wolf for VMI.
VMI’s Jahanzib Shahbaz ’21 concluded a spectacular indoor season by placing third in the men’s IC4A mile run contested March 7-8 at the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Massachusetts.
The senior from Stafford, Virginia, ran a personal best time of 4:05 for the event, just three seconds behind the No. 1 and No. 2 finishers. The men’s distance medley relay team of Trent Whittaker ’23, Rafael Mas ’22, Zach Lauster ’22 and Shahbaz earned a season-best 9:57 effort. The men’s 4×400 team of Jonathan Gray ’22, Jordin Poindexter ’22, Johnnie Walker ’22 and Mas also ran a season-best time for the event, completing the relay in 3:15.
“I was very happy for Jahanzib; he was in a great field today in the mile and it paid dividends with an outstanding personal best that also led to a third-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:05,” said Darrin Webb, VMI head coach, after the meet wrapped up March 8. “But to watch both the DMR and 4×4 both run substantial seasonal best performances was very exciting. Many of the cadet-athletes here this weekend are young and will have multiple chances to come back here again … I know that after yesterday and today not only are they excited about that opportunity, but they will be prepared and ready to excel.”
Women’s thrower Sarah Leckman ’21 competed in the shot put and turned in a distance of 13.94 meters, good for ninth place in the field.
The Keydets took a team place of fourth at the SoCon championships, held at VMI’s Corps Physical Training Facility Feb. 29 – March 1, 2020. There, highlights included Ahliyah Williams’ ’22 first place finish in the women’s 400 meter, with Ariana Ruffin ’21 arriving in second with a time of 56.68 seconds.
Shahbaz placed second in the men’s 800 meter with a time of 1:52.07 just behind Furman’s Ryan Adams, who set a facility and SoCon indoor record in 1:50.37. The women’s 4×400 relay team of Ingrid Joseph ’22, Julianne Knoblett ’20, Ruffin and Williams placed fourth in the event with a school record time of 3:52.78.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.
