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Mountain, Owens Win Gold at ACC Championships

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The men’s and women’s track and field teams closed competition on the second day of competition at the ACC Outdoor Championships Friday (May 12) as Nate Mountain and Owayne Owens won gold to help lift the men’s team into first place after two days of competition at the Paul Derr Track. The men lead the team standings with 55.5 points while the women sit in seventh place with 21.5 points.

Hoos Dominate the Steeple:

  • Nate Mountain and Derek Johnson went 1-2 in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase as Mountain led the way posting 8:32.05 while Derek Johnson ran 8:33.82. Yasin Sado took fifth place posting 8:42.48 as the Hoos piled up 22 points from the event to put the men’s team in the lead for the overall standings.
  • Mountain’s performance stands as a personal-best and now ranks second all-time at Virginia trailing only Johnson’s 8:28.72 which he set in 2021
  • Both Johnson and Mountain earn first-team All-ACC honors for the first time in their careers
  • Sado made his season-debut in the 3000-meter steeplechase earning second-team All-ACC honors – He won silver in the event at the 2022 ACC Championships on the way to an appearance at the NCAA Championships

 Owens Wins the Triple Jump:

  • Owayne Owens won gold in the triple jump clearing a mark of 16.61 meters (54’6”). The performance matches an outdoor best which he set at last season’s Penn Relays and stands as a facility record at NC State’s Paul Derr Track Facility.
  • Owens trailed Miami’s Russell Robinson who set the leading mark on his first jump at 16.60 meters (54’5.5”), but with Owens’ third attempt, he soared to his best mark of the competition to edge Robinson by just half an inch.
  • The title marks the second time Owens has won gold at the ACC Outdoor Championships having previously won the triple jump title in 2021. It also marks his fourth title between the indoor and outdoor seasons having won the indoor triple jump title in 2021 and 2022.

Combined Events Conclude:

  • Ethan Robinson finished fourth in the men’s decathlon racking up a total of 7100 points, a personal-best performance which ranks sixth on the all-time performance list.
  • Robinson started the day by posting the second-fastest time of the day in the 110 hurdles clocking 14.85. He cleared 4.30 meters (14’1.25”) in the pole vault and posted a personal-best javelin mark throwing 50.41 meters (165’4”).
  • On Thursday, Robinson started by posting a time of 11.03 in the 100 meters and marked a personal-best in the long jump clearing 6.67 meters. Robinson ended the day clearing a personal best of 1.95 meters (6’4.75”) and running 49.78 in the 400 meters.
  • Since joining Virginia as a transfer from Tennessee, Robinson has earned second-team All-ACC honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
  • Alix Still placed fifth overall in the women’s heptathlon scoring a total of 5549 points. The performance earned the senior second-team All-ACC honors.
  • On the final day of competition, Still’s day was highlighted by a 37.64-meter (123’6’) performance in the javelin and the second-fastest 800-meter time of the day posting 2:17.94.
  • On Thursday, Still She opened the day with a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles posting a time of 13.90 before equaling a personal best in the high jump clearing 1.66 meters. In the shot put she threw 11.75 meters and ran 25.00 in the 200 meters.

More Highlights:

  • Sophomore Jordan Hardy cleared a mark of 12.62 meters (41’5”) in the triple jump to place sixth. The performance scored three points for the Virginia women and secured second-team All-ACC honors.
  • Ashley Anumba scored for the Cavaliers in the shot put marking a personal-best 16.19 meters (53’1.5”) to finish sixth
  • In the men’s 800 meters, Conor Murphy and Kenton Bachmann each qualified for Saturday’s finals as Murphy bagged a win to qualify automatically while Bachmann qualified on time.
  • On the women’s side of the 800 meters, Esther Seeland qualified on time posting 2:05.87
  • In the 100-meter dash, Demick Starling posted the third-fastest time in Virginia history posting 10.46

From Director of Track & Field Vin Lananna: 
“I am very proud of the way our student athletes have competed over the first two days of competition. We have seen impressive performances from both the men and the women including three ACC titles from Ethan Dabbs, Owayne Owens and Nate Mountain. We have put ourselves in a great position going into the final day where each and every point is crucial.”

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash
The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions. In men’s and women’s track and field, the points are awarded to the team that finishes highest at the ACC Championships.

Up Next:
The ACC Outdoor Championships will resume tomorrow (May 13) beginning at 12 p.m.

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