Friday Virginia Results

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Eastern Kentucky University senior Ole Hesselbjerg won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with an EKU-record time of 8:33.78 at the Virginia Challenge on Friday night.
 
At the time of the race, Hesselbjerg's time was also the fastest in the NCAA this season.
 
The native of Charlottenlund, Denmark defeated a field of 27 of some of the top steeplechasers in the country, including Michigan's Mason Ferlic and Georgetown's Darren Fahy. His time of 8:33.78 is a five-second personal-best, and it also snapped the 33-year old record for Lannigan Field, the site of this weekend's action.
 
Friday night's race was Hesselbjerg's steeplechase season debut. The last time he competed in the steeplechase for EKU, Hesselbjerg earned first-team All-American honors by finishing third at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon (8:38.75).
 
Ben Toroitich's 8:37.03 from 2012 was the previous EKU record.
 
Hesselbjerg was not the only Colonel making noise on Friday night in Charlottesville. Freshman Jakob Abrahamsen, a fellow Dane, placed fifth in the men's steeplechase with a time of 8:45.13. That is the fourth-fastest steeplechase time in EKU history.
 
On the women's side, freshman Carina Schrempf and junior Julie Mathisen ran 2:09.46 and 2:09.50, respectively, in the 800 meters. Those are currently the two fastest times in the OVC.

The Virginia Challenge continues on Saturday.

Other members of the EKU track and field team competed at the Centre Twilight on Friday night in Danville, Kentucky. Results from that meet are not yet available.