Men's Review
Now-senior Felix Kitur led the way for VMI last year, returning the NCAA Outdoor Championships after a one-year absence. Kitur qualified for the Championships after spending most of the year in the top-10 of Division I's 800-meter performance listing, but he truly served notice during the outdoor season when he nearly outkicked NCAA Indoor Champion Robby Andrews of Virginia during a thrilling race at April's Liberty Twilight Qualifier. Kitur would go on to win a heat at the NCAA Preliminary meet in Greensboro, N.C., before finishing 19th at the NCAA Championships.
The five-time Big South Champion was also strong during the indoor season, as he became just the third Keydet to ever win an IC4A title when he captured the 800-meter crown on March 7. He was also second at the outdoor IC4A's.
The throwers got in on the act as well, including Cody Davis. Davis not only made the first two IC4A appearances of his career, qualifying both indoors and outdoors in the shot put, but also posted personal best efforts in the discus and hammer last season. Chad Lawson also posted several PR's and earned an IC4A qualifying berth in the discus outdoors and weight throw indoors. Davis was All-Big South in the shot, while Lawson was tabbed for that honor in the discus.
Ademola Titcombe showed a solid amount of improvement during his second collegiate season, and in fact, carried the Keydets for all intents and purposes at the Big South Indoor Championships. There, he scored 24 individual points, including a win in the long jump where he notched the best indoor leap in the conference since 2005 (7.24 M). Titcombe went on to finish second in the triple jump and third in the 60-meter dash, accounting for the 24 markers. He also had IC4A appearances both indoors and out.
Finally, the other jumpers, save Titcombe, and multi-event athletes had a strong year as well. Mike Munson and Antonio Wood both scored in the heptathlon indoor and decathlon outdoors, while high jumper Dennis James just missed All-Big South honors by placing fourth at both of those meets. James, however, rebounded to finish fourth once again at the IC4A outdoor meet, a meet at which several of the favorites were unable to clear the opening height. In addition, jumper Terrance Green was fifth in the long jump at the outdoor conference meet, and is now a three-time scorer in that event.
Women's Review
The VMI women's team had a season of improvement in 2009-10, including its performance at the Big South Indoor Championships. There, the squad had two conference champions (Hannah Granger, 5K and Kate Collins, Vault) and posted a program-best 52 points at the Championships. Granger would set a pair of school records during the year (indoor 3K, outdoor 5K).
Meanwhile, Collins was part of the best pole vault crew in team history, as she took over the VMI records in both the indoor and outdoor versions of the event. Teammate Jennifer Sing put together a string of personal bests late in the outdoor season, and culminated that by joining Collins in clearing the 11-foot barrier, as they became just the second and third competitors to ever do so at the Institute.
The women's javelin paced the throwers, highlighted by Michelle Feole improving her school record by winning the Liberty Twilight Qualifier for the third time in her career. The team also posted three javelin throwers in the top six at April's UVA invite, and Kaitlin Harrison posted a nearly eight-meter personal best at April 3's Liberty Collegiate Invitational.
In addition, Zipporah McCann not only posted multiple personal bests in the long jump, but also scored in the heptathlon and decathlon at the respective conference championships. McCann's 3,894 points at the Big South Outdoor Championships was not only a personal best, but set a new school record as well.
