Scott Finishes Second in Triple Jump to Lead Cavaliers to 18th Place Team Finish
AUSTIN, Texas – Junior Jordan Scott (Portmore, Jamaica) finished as the NCAA runner-up in the triple jump on Friday (June 7), leading the Cavaliers at the NCAA Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
The Cavaliers tied for 18th place in the team standings with 16 points, recording the team’s fourth top-20 finish in five years. Texas Tech clinched the national title with 60 points, while Florida finished as the runner-up with 50 points.
“The week started well and ended well,” director of track and field Bryan Fetzer said. “I know the men didn’t finish as they wanted, but it is great when you get to the point of finishing 18th in the NCAA and you’re not totally satisfied.”
After entering the finals in eighth place, Scott moved into third with a jump of 16.79m (55’1″) in the fifth round before leaping to the top of the field on his final attempt of the night with a mark of 17.01m (55-9.75). He held onto the lead until the last jumper in the finals, Chengetayi Mapaya from TCU, recorded 17.13m (56’2.5″) to reclaim his lead from the opening rounds and win the national title. Scott scored eight points for the Cavaliers and earned first-team All-America honors for the performance.
“The story for Jordan today was his perseverance,” assistant coach Mario Wilson said. “His approach was not perfect on his first three attempts. I think Jordan was cautious and was just making sure to make finals. In the end he ended up sneaking in the finals in eighth place, meaning he had to jump early. In the fifth round, he put one together to get up in the top three. On his final jump he took the lead, but I had a feeling when you’re jumping early and there are guys jumping 16.9 (meters) after you, it’s just a matter of maybe they could do it and they did find a way to pull it out.
“For Jordan, he should hold his head high. This is now his third time jumping 17 meters over the course of the season, legally. He has shown consistency at a world class distance. Even though it was not a perfect day, he still jumped 17 (meters). To come in second at the NCAA Championships, this is his first time scoring, first podium, hopefully he is happy with that. Hopefully, it will continue to springboard him forward as he has the Jamaican National Championships coming up in a couple of weeks.”
Junior Brenton Foster (Townsville, Australia) also competed during the day’s competition, recording a 16th-place finish in the high jump. Foster cleared a height of 2.18m (7’1.75″) to earn second-team All-America honors in the event.
Also scoring points for the Cavaliers, senior Hilmar Jonsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) recorded the program’s best NCAA finish in the hammer throw on Wednesday, placing third with a mark of 73.31m (240’6″) for six points in the team standings. Freshman Ethan Dabbs’s (Johnstown, Pa.) throw of 72.23m (236’11”) in the javelin placed him seventh overall and scored two points.
“We’ve come a long way this year as a team in so many areas,” Fetzer said. “I’m very proud of their overall body of work this outdoor season and how they have developed as young men and teammates. I’m very confident we are on a huge upswing as a program. I’m blessed to have an incredible staff that continues to guide this team in the principles we put forth and how to handle the championship portion of the season at the highest level. Each year we learn more about how to handle success. The best is yet to come for the Hoos.”
The Virginia women’s track and field team will close the NCAA Championships on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET.