Men Finish Sixth at ACC Championships
May 12, 2018
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Virginia men’s track and field scored 55 points to finish sixth at the ACC Outdoor Championships on Saturday (May 12) at Cobb Stadium.
Florida State claimed the men’s title with 116 points, while Syracuse totaled 108 points to finish second.
Despite taking just one attempt in the triple jump, sophomore Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) placed fifth in the event. Scott traversed 15.64m (51’3.75″) to score four points for Virginia and earn second-team All-ACC recognition.
Graduate student Mike Marsella (Hope Valley, R.I.) started the men’s evening with a fifth-place showing in the 1500m. Marsella crossed in a time of 3:47.87 to score four points for the Cavaliers and earn second-team All-ACC honors.
Alfred Shirley III (Chesapeake, Va.) also ran to a fifth-place finish in the 400m hurdles. The freshman clocked in at a time of 51.72 in the finals.
In the discus throw, junior Nace Plesko (Ljubljana, Slovenia) maxed out at 54.57m (179’0) to finish sixth overall. The effort earned the Cavaliers three points.
“I honestly never thought this would be as big of a rebuilding year as it has been,” director of track and field Bryan Fetzer said. “When you graduate a group that had four NCAA titles and 24 All-American performances, it is hard to replicate. We are very young and have learned some valuable lessons to be used for the rest of this year and into next.”
The 4x400m relay team of Shirley, junior Jake Dixon (Falmouth, Maine), redshirt junior Jack Lint (Westerville, Ohio) and freshman Jordan Willis (Williamsburg, Va.), respectively, closed the evening with a sixth-place showing. The Cavaliers posted a time of 3:09.95 in the final event of the championships.
Sophomore Lachlan Cook (Brisbane, Australia) scored in the 5000m, placing eighth in the event. Cook ran a 14:14.52 to earn a point.
Opening the day in the javelin, graduate student Tucker Rizzi (Williamsburg, Va.) threw a season-best 61.46m (201’8″) to finish in eighth and score a point for Virginia. Senior Anthony Bouselli (Hawley, Pa.) was just off his season best with a throw of 59.43m (194’11”) to finish in ninth.
The meet also signified the men’s track and field matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash, sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of the University of Virginia Athletics. Visit TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information and the overall score. Virginia529 is the official college savings plan of the University of Virginia Athletics.
The Cavaliers will return to action on May 24 at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. The three-day meet will be held in Tampa, Fla.