Virginia senior distance runner Catherine White admitted on Wednesday that she had some butterflies on the eve of the ACC outdoor championships.

"You want to be a little nervous. If you're not nervous, you don't care," she said with a laugh. "So it's channeling that nervous energy into the race that's really the key."

For the first time in a decade, the ACC's championship meet will be held at UVa. The Cavaliers are hosting the three-day event at the newly-renovated Lannigan Field, with the first events scheduled for 12 p.m. Thursday.

"It's kind of crazy. We're all a little bit nervous; a little bit anxious," said senior high jumper Pearl Bickersteth. "I think, as a team, and with our fourth-years and fifth-years that are about to graduate, it just feels good to know that we can all go out here as a team together and work hard for each other, and just do what we can."

Florida State has won at least a share of the last seven ACC men's championships, while Clemson has won the last two women's titles. The UVa women finished fifth while the men came in sixth last year.

White (5,000 meters) and Bickersteth (high jump) are among seven UVa athletes ranked first in the conference entering the meet.

"I'm just hoping to go out there and give it all I can," said Bickersteth. "At this point, it's just jumping the way I've been jumping, indoor and outdoor, and hoping to do my best. I can't ask for anything more than that."

"We all just want to compete as hard as we can," said White. "That's really, at the end of the day that's all you can really ask for. We're all good athletes, and we've all trained hard. Now it's a matter of putting it all together at the final moment."

"That's kind of the focus. Just trying to get better," said first-year director of track and field Bryan Fetzer. "And as Andy (Fahringer), one of our fourth-year javelin throwers says, go have fun. Go out there relaxed, and just go have some fun."