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32 CAVALIER CORNER cavalier profile MIA BARNETT First-Year • Track & Field The signs that Mia Barnett would be a great suc- cess as a member of the Virginia track and field program were never difficult to see. Whether it be the eye-popping times she posted in high school or her summer trip to Colorado to train at altitude, Barnett was an exciting addition to the Cavaliers. What may not have been quite as clear was how soon the first-year would burst onto the scene. Barnett only needed one appearance to make her mark. In her collegiate indoor mile debut at the Hokie Invitational Jan. 21-22 in Blacksburg, Va., she recorded the fastest time by a UVA first-year in school history at 4:40.43. After another strong performance (4:40:45) at the Camel City Invitational Feb. 5 in Winston Sa- lem, N.C., she traveled to Boston Feb. 11 to chase another fast time at Boston University's Valentine Invitational. She won her heat in the mile with a time of 4:35.09, which ultimately qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Barnett went on to claim second-team All-ACC honors in the mile at the ACC Indoor Champion- ships Feb. 24-26 in Blacksburg, Va. She also was part of the Cavaliers' silver-medal-winning distance medley relay, which posted a school-record time of 10:56.84. Running as the only true first-year in a field of 16 competitors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., Barnett took down a 40-year- old Virginia mile record by clocking 4:33.54. She came away with second-team All-America honors in the mile and also earned first-team All-America recognition in the distance medley relay after help- ing the Cavaliers to a seventh-place finish. The momentum has only increased since the start of the outdoor season. At the Virginia Chal- lenge, Barnett finished as the top collegian in the 1,500 meters, posting the second-fastest time in UVA history and earning the third seed at the NCAA East Preliminaries in late May. Following a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the ACC Outdoor Championships, Bar- nett will look to finish off her first-year season with a strong showing at the NCAA Championships June 8-11. — Quinn Hull • Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA