LYNCHBURG, Va. - Antonio Wood prevailed in the heptathlon with an IC4A qualifying mark, leading a contingent of VMI track and field multi event competitors in action Saturday at the Liberty Open in Lynchburg, Va.

Wood, who notched 5110 points in all, started the day with a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles before breaking things open in the pole vault. Wood posted the day's top mark in the event, clearing 4.15 meters (13'7 ¼") while his closest pursuer, Tevan McIntire of Liberty, failed to clear a bar. That gave Wood an additional 659 points and allowed teammate Quincy Murphy to move into second place, a spot that he would hang on to in the final event, the 1000-meter run that saw Wood finish second and Murphy place third.

Murphy's runner-up score of 4662, a personal best by over 200 points, was highlighted by the top time in the 60-meter hurdles, an 8.44 second effort. The sophomore showed consistency throughout the two-day discipline, finishing outside the top three in just one of the seven events, the shot put on the opening day.

"This was a great start to the season for our multi events, and it caps off a good weekend for our team as a whole," said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. "Antonio Wood had a strong performance today to finish off a victory, and Quincy Murphy was consistent throughout. Amanda Okani also was solid yesterday, finishing third in the pentathlon. It was a good weekend for our program, and we are back to work on Monday."

Also in action for the Keydets in the heptathlon were Sean Connolly (5th, 3919 points), Tyler Robinson (8th, 3244) and Sean Gardner (9th, 2756).

VMI track and field will return to action Feb. 8, traveling to Lynchburg once again to take part in the Liberty Quad.

Full results from Saturday's meet will be posted late Saturday evening.