No. 4 Virginia's Mihaljevic and Efekoro Qualify for NCAA Championship
May 26, 2017
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 4 Virginia men’s track and field team finished day two of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Friday (May 26) in Lexington, Ky., at the University of Kentucky Track and Field Complex with two competitors qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
The Cavaliers placed two student-athletes inside the top 12 of the shot put. Redshirt junior Filip Mihaljevic (Linvo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) placed fourth with a mark of 19.60m (64-3.75). Redshirt sophomore Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) placed 12th with an effort of 18.41m (60.75).
Each individual event (excluding the heptathlon and decathlon) has 48 competitors, while relays have 24 teams. The top 12 from every event move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, to be held in Eugene, Ore., on June 7-10.
“Another great day for our guys,” said assistant coach Martin Maric. “Filip (Mihaljevic) has accomplished in this NCAA East Region First Rounds what he has done each of the three before. He secured an NCAA Championships ticket on his first throw and he is now going to have a great time in Eugene, for the last time as a student athlete. Pobo (Efekoro) did a great job securing his spot in Eugene as well.”
In the pole vault, redshirt junior Jeff Jernigan (DeKalb, Ga.) cleared a personal-best mark of 5.15m (16-10.75). He tied for 19th in the event. Redshirt freshman Sam Young (Lewes, Del.) placed 28th, clearing a mark of 5.00m (16-4.75).
Sophomore Nace Plesko (Ljubljana, Slovenia) also competed in the shot put, placing 36th overall with a mark of 16.74m (54-11.25).
NCAA East Regional Preliminary Rounds will conclude tomorrow. Events begin at 2 p.m.