Efekoro Posts Nation's Top Shot Put Throw to Lead Hoos
April 8, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Redshirt sophomore Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the No. 5 UVA men’s track and field team in its first home meet of the season Saturday (April 8) by posting the nation’s top throw in the men’s shot put. Efekoro’s effort was a personal best distance of 20.39 meters (66-10.75).
The throw by Efekoro broke the Lannigan Field record, set by redshirt junior Filip Mihaljevic (Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 2015, in addition to ranking him second in Cavalier history for the event. He is also the first student-athlete to throw beyond the 20-meter mark this season.
“Since our sport is odd, in that not every competition is scored (team vs. team), it was great to get some wins in front of our home fans, friends and families,” said UVA head coach Bryan Fetzer. “We had some great performances, even with a number of our men competing in `off events,’ in preparation for the Virginia Challenge and the championship part of the season. They (team) know it can be a special season but we need to stay focused on the task at hand, realizing it is a long process with ups and downs. We still have some work to do between the ears.”
With the help of six additional first-place finishes, the men’s team took all three dual meet victories topping Maryland (71-50), Penn (77.66-47.33) and Columbia (86-26).
Sophomore Charles Bowman (Harrisburg, Pa.) swept the hurdle events, crossing first in both the 110m hurdle (14.59) and the 400m hurdle (52.54) competitions. His time in the 400m hurdle places 18th in the East Region.
With a personal best, redshirt junior Jeff Jernigan (DeKalb, Ga.) cleared 4.98 meters (16-4) in the pole vault. His first-place performance ranks 36th in the region.
Senior Henry Wynne (Westport, Conn.) posted the fastest time in the 800 meters (1:51.00) while redshirt freshman Matthew Novak (Glen Allen, Va.) finished first in the 2000m steeplechase (5:57.91).
UVA closed with the day with the 4x400m relay. Junior Logan Carrington (Leesburg, Va.), Bowman, senior Nathan Kiley (Chantilly, Va.) and sophomore Jake Dixon, respectively, recorded the fastest mark in the event with a time of 3:11.92.
The Cavaliers will host the Virginia Challenge on April 21-22.