Jonsson Captures Third-Straight Hammer Title

May 10, 2018

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MIAMI – Virginia junior Hilmar Jonsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) earned his third-consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title in the hammer throw to highlight the opening day of action for Virginia men’s track and field. The Cavaliers sit in a three-way tie for fifth after the opening day of the championships.

Jonsson’s title-winning throw came on his third attempt of the afternoon. The mark ranks 10th in the country in 2018 and makes the Cavalier just the third athlete to ever win three-consecutive ACC Championships in the hammer throw.

“Hilmar is a Germanic and Nordic name that means notorious fighter or protector,” assistant coach Martin Maric said. “He is notorious for consistently competing with great fervor, an approach that has proven to give him an imposing presence at major competitions. It is a spectacular accomplishment to win all three ACC Championships he has competed in thus far.”

On the track, a pair of Cavaliers made their way to the finals in Thursday’s preliminaries.

Alfred Shirley III (Chesapeake, Va.) advanced by winning his heat of the 400m hurdles. The freshman posted a 51.89 to open his ACC Championships. Shirley will compete in the finals of the 400m hurdles on Saturday (May 12).

In the 1500m, Mike Marsella (Hope Valley, R.I.) also qualified for the finals by winning his heat. Marsella ran a 3:47.65 to earn a spot in Saturday’s final.

Jack Lint (Westerville, Ohio) ran a personal best 53.01 in the preliminaries of the 400m hurdles but finished just 0.03 outside of advancing to the finals.

Syracuse leads the way after day one with 23 points. The Cavaliers sit tied with North Carolina State and Virginia Tech with 10 points.

Virginia returns to action in day two of the ACC Outdoor Championships on Friday (May 11). The first event of the day for the Cavalier men comes at 3 p.m.