UVA Opens NCAA East Preliminary Round Competition on Wednesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track & field teams will open competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., starting Wednesday, May 26. The four-day competition is one of two qualifying sites for the 2021 NCAA Championships that will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12. The West Preliminary Round is taking place at Texas A&M. UVA has a record 36 individuals set to compete at the meet. The NCAA Preliminary Competitions were introduced in 2010.

The top-12 finishers from each individual event and top-12 relay teams will advance from the East Preliminary Round to the national championships.

The No. 23 Cavalier men will have 17 competitors in a total of 13 individual events. Their competitions will take place Wednesday, May 26 and Friday, May 28. The No. 27 UVA women’s squad has 19 individual competitors and two relays teams entered in 17 different events. Their competitions take place on Thursday, May 27 and Saturday, May 29.

How to Follow 
Team1Sports will stream the meet. Links to each day’s stream are available at VirginiaSports.com in addition to links to live results. Fans can also follow the action with updates on the team’s official Twitter account (@UVATFCC).

Topping the Field 

A total of 10 individual Hoos and two women’s relay teams enter the weekend with a mark that ranks in East Region’s top 12.

• Andrenette Knight – 1st, women’s 400-meter hurdles
  Repeated as ACC 400mH champ with winning time of 55.75 that was school record and meet record … that ranks as the top time in the region and third in the nation … has won all five of her races (heats and finals) this season in the 400H … was 12th at 2019 NCAA Championships in the event after placing 10th at 2018 national meet while competing for UVA
• Claudio Romero – 1st, men’s discus
  Won ACC title in discus on his final throw with mark of 61.21m (200′ 10″) … set school record, UVA freshman record and meet record in discus competition at Virginia Challenge … had a throw of 64.39m (211′ 3″) on his sixth attempt to win the event … that effort ranks No. 2 in the nation and positioned him No. 10 in the world at the time … named ACC Field Performer of the Week three times during the season
• Brenton Foster – 3rd, men’s high jump
  Repeated as ACC high jump champion … set school record (2.27m / 7′ 5.25″) in winning high jump at ACCs … that ties as fourth-best mark in the nation this year … was 16th at 2019 NCAA Championships
• Owayne Owens – 4th, men’s triple jump
  Won the ACC triple jump title with a winning mark of 15.97m (52′ 4.75″) … finished first in TJ at Virginia Challenge (16.45m / 53′ 11.75″) … that improved on his third-place standing on UVA all-time performance list and ranks No. 8 in the nation
• Jada Seaman – 5th, women’s long jump
  ACC Champion in the long jump on her final attempt … won with a meet record mark of 6.56m (21′ 6.25″) that ranks No. 2 on the UVA all-time list … that distance stands No. 14 in the nation and No. 5 in the region … helped UVA relay teams set school records in the 4×100 (43.90) and 4×400 (3:32.34) at ACC meet … set UVA freshman records this season in the 100m (11.44) and 200m (23.22)
• Derek Johnson – 6th, men’s 3000m steeplechase
  Finished fourth in 3000m steeplechase at ACC Championships with PB of 8:36.86 … that time ranks No. 2 on UVA all-time list and is 13th in the nation … six of the top 18 times in the nation were run during that race
• Jacob Lemmon – 6th, men’s discus
  Placed fifth in the discus and hammer throw at the ACC Championships … his best discus throw at conference meet was 56.74m (186’ 2”) … his PB (58.54m / 192’ 1”) at Virginia Invitational ranks No. 15 in the nation and is fifth on UVA all-time performance list and No. 3 on UVA freshman record list
• Michaela Meyer – 6th, women’s 800 meters
  Set school record (2:01.52) in finishing third in 800m at ACC Championships … that ranks as No. 6 time in the nation … three of the top six times in the country were set during that race … won 1500m at ACC Championships with school and meet record 4:09.78 … when she broke school record in 800m at Raleigh Relays (2:02.20) that broke a 35-year-old school record
• Khyasia Caldwell – 10th, women’s triple jump
  Was sixth in triple jump (12.81m / 42’ 0.5) and seventh in long jump at ACCs … Set PB in triple jump (13.33m / 43′ 9″) at Virginia Challenge to finish second … Her mark at Virginia Challenge ranks No. 2 on UVA all-time performance list and No. 10 in the nation … helped UVA to second-place finish and school record in 4×100 (43.90) at ACC Championships
• Maria Deaviz – 10th, women’s shot put
  Was fourth (16.42m / 53’ 10.5”) at ACC Championships … set UVA shot put record at Raleigh Relays (17.18m / 56′ 4.5″) to win that competition … that ranks No. 10 in the nation … won four shot put events during the season … No. 2 ranked freshman in the nation
• 4×100 Relay – 7th (Anna Jefferson, Jada Seaman, Khyasia Caldwell, Kayla Bonnick)
  Set school record time of 43.90 while finishing as runner-up at ACC Championships
• 4×400 Relay – 7th (Anna Jefferson, Jada Seaman, Keara Seasholtz, Andrenette Knight)
  Set school record time of 3:32.34 while finishing as runner-up at ACC Championships

Hoo’s Looking for a Return Trip
Three members of the Cavaliers’ roster have previously advanced from NCAA Preliminary Rounds to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

• Brenton Foster
  Foster was 16th at the 2019 NCAA Championships with a top clearance of 2.18m (7’ 1.75). That season he placed seventh at the East Region (2.19m / 7’ 2.25”).
• Andrenette Knight
  In 2019, Knight placed 12th at the NCAA Championships (57.66). She was fifth in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles at the East Region event with a time of 57.05. During the 2018 season, she was 10th (57.89) at the NCAA meet after placing fourth at the East Region (56.94). As a freshman at San Diego State, Knight finished 11th (57.80) at the 2017 NCAA Championships. That season she was fifth at the West Region meet (57.16).
• Ethan Dabbs
  Dabbs recorded a seventh-place finish in the javelin at the 2019 NCAA Championships, recording a mark of 72.23m (236’11”) in the second round of the event. He earned first-team All-America honors. He was fourth at the 2019 East Region meet.