Bogavac’s Third-Place Javelin Finish Leads Cavaliers at ACC Championships
Charlottesville, Va.- Senior javelin thrower Marija Bogavac (Mojkovac, Montenegro) led the Virginia women’s track and field team on the opening day of competition at the ACC Championships at Lannigan Field on Thursday (May 9).
The Cavaliers finished the first day of events in fifth place with 13 points. Florida State leads the team standings with 39 points, while Notre Dame and Virginia Tech are tied for second with 25 points.
Bogavac threw a mark of 48.78m (160-0) on her third attempt to capture a third-place finish. She recorded her third All-ACC honor in the event with the performance.
Senior Jade Baker (North Richland Hills, Texas) opened the meet with a school record in the hammer throw. Baker topped her previous record on two of her first three throws, advancing to the finals with a mark of 63.61m (208-08), three-feet beyond her prior mark. The throw placed her seventh in the competition.
“What an incredible career Jade (Baker) has had,” assistant coach Martin Maric said. “She is such a hard worker. It’s great to see her throw a school record (mark), even though she finished seventh. If she throws like that at regionals, she’ll end up at nationals. There’s more left in the tank for her.
“Marija (Bogavac), coming back after surgery, is getting better and better every meet. She’s getting more comfortable with her arm. I think this is just the beginning of her season. She is going to throw even further than this. Her personal best is in her reach. I think she can make it to nationals as well. Cait (Caitlin Mautz) also did a great job to qualify for regionals. Regionals will be very exciting for UVA.”
Redshirt senior Caitlin Mautz (Doylestown, Pa.) earned second-team All-ACC honors in the javelin, finishing sixth. With her first throw, Mautz threw 46.76m (153-5) for a season-best performance in the event. The All-ACC honor is the third of her career.
Junior Andrenette Knight (Morant Bay, Jamaica) ran a season-best to capture the top time in the prelims for the 400m hurdles. Knight ran a time of 57.71 to enter the finals on Saturday as the top runner.
Junior Anna Jefferson (Warren, Mich.) advanced to Saturday’s 200m dash finals, taking the top time in heat two and third-fastest time of the day at 23.39. Her personal-best time ranks second in school history.
Khyasia Caldwell-Adams (Pocono Summit, Pa.) rounded out the day scoring points for the Cavaliers in the women’s long jump. The sophomore placed seventh with a jump of 6.15m (20-2.25).
The Cavaliers will return to competition tomorrow for day two of the ACC Championships. Events will begin at 11 a.m.