Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 6 | June 2018

W O M E N ’ S T R A C K & F I E L D POCRATSKY JR • GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND Rachel C oming into her junior season, Rachel Pocratsky had not won an ACC gold medal in any event, nor had she qualified for the NCAA Championships in any event. That seems hard to believe considering her multiple visits to the top step of the podium and her record-breaking campaign this past winter and spring. Pocratsky enjoyed an incredible junior season, earning All-America honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons, winning four ACC gold medals and setting four individual school records. She also was a part of the 4x800-meter relay and the distance medley relay teams that set school records this season. During the indoor season, Pocratsky finished sixth in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships held in College Station, Texas, in March, earning first-team All- America honors—the first All-America honor of her career. She followed that by earning All-America honors during the outdoor season as well, coming in fifth in the 1,500 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships held in Eugene, Oregon in early June. Pocratsky won four gold medals at ACC meets—two at the indoor meet and two at the outdoor meet. She set a personal best in winning the 800 at the indoor meet, running the event in a time of 2 minutes, 3.17 seconds. She also added a second gold at that meet when she participated as a member of the women’s distance medley relay team that was victorious. During the outdoor season, she claimed gold medals in both the 800 and the 1,500, setting a school record in the 1,500 in the process (4:10.03). Pocratsky won nine times in her respective events during both the indoor and outdoor seasons and added three more wins while participating on relay teams. For sure, she’ll be motivated to continue that success next season—and to get the one victory that eluded her this season, the national title. inside.hokiesports.com 37