Virginia Ranks 10th and 11th in USTFCCCA Program of the Year Rankings, Three Cavaliers Earn Regional Honors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its final update for the NCAA Division I Program of the Year standings. The Cavalier men checked in at No. 10 while the women are listed at No. 11. Individually, Nate Mountain and Ethan Dabbs were named track and field athletes of the year for the Southeast Region while throws coach Steve Lemke was named Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.

The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Championships. To be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Points are accumulated based on combined placement among the championships with the lowest score winning the award.

Men’s Final Standings

• The Virginia men placed 10^th on the list marking the program’s best finish since placing fourth in 2016-17.
• The Cavaliers placed 22^nd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships
• Virginia placed 28^th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
• The team finished 11^th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships giving the team a total of 61.5 points overall.
• The Virginia men placed higher than any other ACC team in the final standings.

Women’s Final Standings

• The Cavalier women placed 11^th marking their highest finish since the 2010-11 season when they placed 10^th.
• Virginia’s women placed ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships
• The Cavaliers finished 31^st at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
• UVA capped the season placing 17^th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships totaling a point total of 59.
• Virginia was the third-highest ranked women’s program among ACC schools.

Outdoor Track and Field Regional Awards
Three Cavaliers received southeast regional awards following the conclusion of the outdoor track and field season. Nate Mountain was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. Ethan Dabbs earned the honor of Men’s Field Athlete of the Year while his coach, Steve Lemke, was named Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Nate Mountain won his first ACC title in the 3000-meter Steeplechase running a personal best of 8:32.05 – the second-fastest time in Virginia history and sixth-fastest in NCAA Division I for 2023 season. Following his ACC title, Mountain ran the fastest qualifying time at the NCAA East Regional and finished the season with All-American honors placing fourth at the NCAA Championships. Mountain also clocked personal bests in the 1500 meters (3:39.68) and 5000 meters (13:48.25).

In 2023, Ethan Dabbs won his fourth consecutive ACC title in the men’s javelin becoming the first to ever accomplish the feat. He went on to finish as the NCAA runner-up in the javelin for the second consecutive season earning All-American honors for the third time in his career. His season-best mark of 80.82 meters won the Virginia Challenge setting a meet and facility record. He threw over 72.90 meters in all five competitions over the course of the season.

Steve Lemke earns the honor of Southeast Regional Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year after his first season with Virginia. Lemke stepped in and coached Ethan Dabbs to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in the javelin. His athletes accounted for 17 of Virginia’s pints at the ACC Championships where the Cavaliers finished just 2.5 points off the team title. He led a pair of athletes to All-ACC finishes and two of his throwers achieved personal bests at the ACC Championships. This marks the second season in which Virginia has collected the honors of men’s regional field athlete and assistant coach of the year following Claudio Romero and Martin Maric in 2022.