NORVELL’S VERSATILITY HIGHLIGHTS RAMS WEEKEND AT LOU ONESTY/ABRAMSON INVITATIONAL
Sophomore picks up three top-five finishes
April 12, 2009
Full Results
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Versatility in track and field is the rare ability to perform strong in several different events. The key word in that statement is “rare”.
Sophomore Antonio Norvell (Portsmouth, Va.) of the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s track & field put his versatility on display among some of the nation’s best athletes this past weekend at the Lou Onesty/Abramson Invitational.
Norvell posted three top-five finishes at the prestigious meet, leading the way for the Black & Gold’s 11 top-10 finishes.
”Antonio has done a great job bouncing back from an injury that really limited in the winter,” Head Coach Julian Spooner said. “He’s a dynamic athlete that can score points for us in so many different events.”
The sophomore started the weekend with a fourth-place showing in the 100-meter dash, stopping the clock in 10.91. Next up was the long jump, where he finished fourth with a leap of 22’ 1 ½”. His weekend concluded when he led the 4x400 meter relay to a victory, breaking the tape in 3:16.07.
Norvell was joined by freshman Brice Matthews, sophomore Mike Nkwanga (Haymarket, Va.) and junior Dwayne Handon (Fairfax Station, Va.) on the 4x400 meter relay squad.
Handon and sophomore Brandon Allen (Trenton, N.J.) grabbed fifth and sixth finishes, respectively, in the long jump right behind Norvell, helping VCU grab three of the top six spots in the event.
Standout freshman Ronnie Black (Newport News, Va.) continued his strong debut campaign with a third-place finish in the high jump, reaching a mark of 6’ 4 ¾”.
The sophomore duo of Joe Edwards (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Allan Moody (Woodbridge, Va.) garnered fourth and fifth place in the triple jump with leaps of 43’ 5 ¾” and 43’ ¼”, respectively.
Junior Stephen Mutisya (Machakos, Kenya) rounded out the top five finishes for the Black & Gold with a time of 4:01.61, good for fifth in the 1500-meter run.
The Rams will take the week to rest up and prepare to make a run at the CAA Championship next weekend. The championships are being hosted by Towson University and kick off on Friday afternoon.
”It’s been one of the more difficult years since I’ve been here,” Spooner said. “We’ve dealt with a ton of injuries to a lot of our top guys throughout the year. Still I feel like we have a chance to be right in the mix for a shot at the title.”