Hammer Throw Record Advances Jordan Young to NCAA Championships
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May 28, 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Virginia men’s track and field team began action Thursday at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. Jordan Young (Windsor, Ontario) was the top qualifier in the hammer throw to lead the Cavaliers during day one of the meet.
The top 12 competitors in each event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds will advance to the NCAA Championships, held June 10-13 at the University of Oregon.
Young was the top qualifier from the East after a school-record 70.73m (232-0) on his final attempt of the competition. He broke his own school record of 69.53m, which he set at last month’s Virginia Challenge at Lannigan Field. It is Young’s second trip to Eugene in the event, as he finished 14th in the hammer throw last year during his freshman season at Arizona.
“Jordan started the day off with a great performance,” said head coach Bryan Fetzer. “Now that he has thrown 70 meters in the hammer, I don’t know of too many throwers that have done what he has done in the shot, the discus and the hammer in the same year. He was really excited to hit that 70-meter mark and it has given him a lot of confidence.”
Virginia also had two athletes advance to the quarterfinals of running events later in the weekend. Payton Hazzard (Huntington, N.Y.) was second in his heat of the 400m, crossing in 46.44 to automatically advance. He will look to advance to Eugene on Friday. Henry Wynne (Westport, Conn.) advanced in the 1500m, finishing fourth in his heat in a time of 3:45.53 and will look to advance to Oregon on Saturday. Mike Marsella (Hope Valley, R.I.) was also in the 1500m, but did not advance with a time of 3:50.07. Nathan Kiley (Chantilly, Va.) ran 1:52.59 in the 800m, but didn’t qualify for the quarterfinals.
“Henry and Peyton did what we expected them to do, which is advance,” said Fetzer. “Obviously, we are disappointed that Mike didn’t perform the way he should have, but this competition is about advancing to the next round. You just have to live to see another day. We are still in a good position to meet our goals in terms of a number of athletes qualify for Eugene.”
The day concluded with two Cavaliers in the 10000m. Zach Herriott (Kansas City, Mo.) just missed a trip to Oregon, finishing 14th in a time of 30:22.12. Chase Weaverling (Darnestown, Md.) was 29th in a time of 30:53.16.
Joining Hazzard on Friday’s schedule for the Cavalier men are Kyle Smith (Leola, Pa.), Filip Mihaljevic (Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kyle King (Yorktown, Pa.), Adam Visokay (Ruckersville, Va.) and Young. Smith will compete in the men’s javelin, Mihaljevic and Young are in the men’s discus and King and Visokay will run the 3000m steeplechase.