In our newest feature we are announcing our Top 10 Performances of 2014 by Virginia athletes. Check these out throughout the next couple days and see who and what made our list!
#8 A 800 To Remember
We were given quite the treat this past March with an 800 battle for the ages in the New Balance Indoor Nationals fast section of the 800. We got to see two of Virginia's finest athletes battle it out all the way to the line for the national title and completely leave everyone else behind. This performance is being awarded to both individuals though, Kenneth Hagen and Derek Holdsworth, since they both are well deserving of this award for different reasons.
Derek is receiving this honor because he won the race and also the national championship as well. He boasts a very impressive PR of 1:51.72 indoors and was the national champion, Brooks PR champion (Outdoors), and 3A State Champion Outdoors as well. Indoors he was one of the fastest 500m runners in the entire nation and state champion in that event as well.
Kenneth was right behind and even ahead on some of those honors. Kenneth finished as the national runner-up in that race with a PR of 1:51.90. The impressive thing about that is that he lost his shoe 200m in and raced 600m on an indoor track without a spike! If you have ever run around an indoor track without a shoe then you would know how impressive and painful that is. The idea alone that he did that and still almost won the national title is amazing and because of that both of these guys are our #8 best performance of 2014.