Dabbs Advances in Javelin at NCAA East Preliminary Rounds
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman Ethan Dabbs (Johnstown, Pa.) qualified for the NCAA Championships in the javelin on Friday (May 24), leading the Virginia men’s track and field team on the second day at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at Hodges Stadium.
Dabbs recorded the fourth-best throw in the javelin to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas (June 5-8). His best throw came in the first round as the first-year threw 69.46m (227’11”).
“Once again Ethan (Dabbs) got the job done on the first throw,” assistant coach Martin Maric said. “To see a true freshman come to a stage of this level and use the excitement in throwing in the way he did is something extraordinary. He worked hard and deserves his spot in Austin”
Also competing during the day, redshirt junior Matthew Novak (Glen Allen, Va.) ran a time of 8:56.77 in the 3000m steeplechase to finish 18th in the event.
In the discus, redshirt senior Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior Nace Plesko (Ljubljana, Slovenia) finished 21st and 24th, respectively. Efekoro threw a personal-best mark of 54.56m (179’0″) on his second attempt. His throw ranks ninth all-time in UVA history. Plesko captured a mark of 53.72m (176’3″) in the third round of competition.
Virginia will conclude the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Saturday with action beginning at 2:45 p.m. The top-12 finishers from each individual event and top-12 relay teams will advance from the East Preliminary Round.