Jonsson Captures Best Hammer Throw Finish in UVA History at NCAA Championships
AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Hilmar Jonsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) recorded the best hammer throw finish in program history on Wednesday (June 5) to lead the Virginia men’s track and field team on the opening day of the NCAA Championships at Mike A. Myer Stadium. The senior threw a mark of 73.31m (240’6″) to finish third in the event and earn first-team All-America honors.
The Cavaliers concluded the opening day tied for ninth place with eight points. Mississippi State leads the field with 24 points, while BYU ranks second with 21 points. LSU is in third place with 18 points.
After fouling on his opening throw, Jonsson recorded a mark of 70.87m (232’6″) to move into fourth place before cementing his spot in the finals with a throw of 73.19m (240’1″). Two throws later he captured his top mark in the series, 73.31m (240’6), to finish third overall and score six points for the Cavaliers. He earned his third career All-America honor and second first-team honor in the event.
“It was incredible to see these guys compete so well at this level,” assistant coach Martin Maric said. “Hilmar (Jonsson) took another trophy home, finishing his college career as one of the best UVA athletes this program has ever had. We are very fortunate to have had him on our team for the past four years. He has done so much for this program.”
Freshman Ethan Dabbs (Johnstown, Pa.) captured a seventh-place finish in the javelin, recording a mark of 72.23m (236’11”) in the second round of the event. He earned first-team All-America honors and scored two points for UVA in the team standings. The national honor is the first for the freshman.
In the shot put, redshirt senior Oghenakpobo Efekoro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) earned second-team All-America honors with a 12th-place finish and a mark of 19.16m (62’10.5″). The All-America accolade was his fourth in the outdoor shot put and fifth overall in his career.
“Ethan (Dabbs) is a true warrior,” said Maric. “Coming in as a true freshman and taking home All-America honors is really difficult to do. One can only wonder what the next few seasons will be like for this young man.
“Big thanks to one of our all-time best as well, Pobo (Efekoro). It wasn’t quite a good day for him today, but his career was better than most student-athletes could even dream of.”
Graduate student Brent Demarest (Charleston, S.C.) concluded his collegiate career with a 14th-place finish in the 100000m run. The distance runner recorded a time of 29:54.20 to earn second-team All-America honors in the event, capturing his first outdoor All-America honor and third career honor.
“I’m very proud of Brent (Demarest) for racing tough tonight and earning his third All-America honor,” assistant coach Jason Dunn said. “We hoped he could run his way into a scoring position, but I’m not sure he had fully recovered from an illness that hit him right after the regional race. While I wish I could’ve coached him longer, he definitely had a great career here at UVA.”
The Virginia women’s track and field team will open competition at the Women’s NCAA Track and Field Championships on Thursday with events beginning at 2 p.m. ET. The men will return to action on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.