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Young Wins Weight Throw at Crimson Elite Meet
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Feb. 3, 2017
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BOSTON, Mass.-UVA senior Jordan Young opened his 2017 campaign by winning the weight throw as the No. 5 Virginia men’s track and field team competed at the Crimson Elite Meet Friday (Feb. 3) at the Gordon Indoor Track in Boston.
Young (Windsor, Ontario) won the weight throw with his first indoor throw since 2015, hitting a mark of 22.91m (75′ 2″), just 0.01m off of his school record and third in the NCAA this year.
“Jordan was so close to the school record on a controlled first throw of the season,” UVA director of track and field/cross country Bryan Fetzer said. “This shows he has been a lot more diligent on the details this fall and winter.”
“It is hard to convey the magnitude of the mark Jordan put up today,” UVA throws coach Martin Maric said. “After an arduous 2016 season that ended in injury, Jordan was able to stay motivated and put tremendous work into treatment, core strengthening and stretching in order to help his teammates for one more season. After two full years of not throwing the weight, he was able to come a centimeter away from his PR on 80 percent effort that ranks him third in the NCAA. This is unprecedented and he is limitless in this event.”
Junior Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) won the shot put with a season-best throw of 18.29m (60′ 0.25″) and sophomore Nace Plesko (Ljubljana, Slovenia) was second with a mark of 17.14m (56′ 3″). Junior James Williams (Radford, Va.) finished fifth with a throw of 15.97m (52′ 4.75″).
Senior Jeff Jernigan (DeKalb, Ga.) placed in a tie for second in the pole vault, clearing a personal-best height of 4.95m (16′ 2.75″), which ranks seventh on UVA’s all-time list. In the high jump, redshirt junior Cam Collins (Calhoun, Ga.) tied for second after clearing a height of 1.90m (6′ 2.75″).
“We had some good individual performances and personal bests,” Fetzer said. “Jernigan had a big breakthrough today. The goal is always to learn and improve each race, jump or throw and this group continues to do that.”
In the long jump, redshirt junior Aaron Worrell (Fort Eustis, Va.) placed second with a mark of 7.22m (23′ 8.25″), while freshman Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) was sixth with a leap of 7.10m (23′ 3.5″).
“We are using this weekend as a trial run for ACCs in most of the cases with having to compete two days in a row,” Fetzer said. “It is great to have two facilities and competitions literally miles apart.”
Across town at the first night of the Scarlett & White Meet at the BU Track and Tennis Center, the distance medley relay team of sophomore Robbie Keough (Atlanta, Ga.), senior Nathan Kiley (Chantilly, Va.), junior Logan Carrington (Leesburg, Va.) and freshman Randy Neish (Glastonbury, Conn.) finished fifth in 9:57.81.
The Scarlett & White Meet concludes Saturday (Feb. 4) with action starting at 11 a.m.