ROANOKE, Va. – The Cosmopolitan track meet returned to the Roanoke Valley on Thursday, a tradition steeped in history, starting in 1966. 40 schools and more than 1800 student-athletes flock to William Fleming this weekend, with middle school, junior, and senior high school represented.
This meet has a scholarship program attached as well, $3,500 scholarships for the top male and female athletes for continuing education expenses. Meet director Randy Lower is excited to have the meet-up and running again after COVID-19.
“It’s nice after two years to be back in the swing of things, we had a very good turnout, I’ve been pleased with the number of entries. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate so we can get this thing in. It takes a lot of work, a lot of people involved, a lot of expertise, I like to surround myself with people who know what they’re doing, and we’re excited to put this thing on again.”
One of Thursday’s events occurred at Patrick Henry high school, the pole vault, where Patrick Henry senior Evan Langhammer was attempting to break the Cosmopolitan meet record. The previous record was set in 1979 by another Patriot grad, Danny Thompson, at 15 feet. At dusk, Langhammer cleared 15 feet 1 inch to break the second oldest record in Cosmo history.
“It’s a really good sense of accomplishment, I’ve had two ACL reconstructions, being able to come back after essentially a 16-month sabbatical in under four months, being able to break records, it makes me feel really proud of myself,” Langhammer said.
The meet continues on Friday and Saturday at William Fleming.