Mihaljevic Repeats as NCAA Champion in Shot Put
June 7, 2017
EUGENE, Ore. – Redshirt junior Filip Mihaljevic (Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina) captured the NCAA title in the shot put to lead the No. 9 Virginia men’s track and field team on the opening day of the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Mihaljevic placed first in the event with a mark of 21.30m (69-10.75). The effort earned him first-team All-America honors, while setting a school record and an ACC record. Mihaljevic was the 2016 NCAA shot put champion, earning the title for the second consecutive year.
The men’s team concluded day one with 20 points, tying last year’s team score for the highest point total in program history at the NCAA Championships. Texas A&M led the opening day with 21.5 points while Florida finished third with 18 points.
Redshirt sophomore Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished fourth in the shot put, scoring five points for the Cavaliers. He recorded a mark of 19.70m (64-7.75) to earned first-team All-America honors.
Sophomore Hilmar Jonsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) threw a person-best mark of 72.38m (237-5) to place fourth overall in the hammer throw. The effort earned Jonsson first-team All-America honors and scored five points for the Cavaliers. Additionally, the mark broke the U23 Icelandic hammer throw record and topped his previous UVA school record.
Senior Jordan Young (Windsor, Ont.) also competed in the hammer throw. He recorded a season-best mark of 69.71m (228-8) to finish ninth. The performance earned him second-team All-America honors.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Lint (Westerville, Ohio) ranks 21st in the decathlon at the conclusion of five events. He holds a score of 3,733 points.
Day two of the NCAA Championships will continue tomorrow with the Cavaliers competing in the women’s shot put in addition to concluding the events for the decathlon.