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Mountain Repeats as Steeplechase Champion, Sado and Robinson Podium on Second Day of ACC Outdoor Championship

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ATLANTA, GA. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams completed the second day of action at the 2024 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday (May 10) as Nate Mountain and Yasin Sado went 1-2 in the men’s 3000m steeplechase while Robinson earned bronze in the men’s decathlon at the George C. Griffin Track & Field Facility on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga.

Mountain Goes Back-to-Back

  • Nate Mountain won back-to-back ACC titles in the men’s 3000m steeplechase crossing the line in 8:30.05.
  • Not only did Mountain secure the gold, he also broke the meet record which preciously stood at 8:31.23 set in 2021 by Virginia Tech’s Fitsum Seyoum.
  • Mountain entered the race as a heavy favorite to repeat as champion, touting the number one time in the country at 8:20.68 set at the 2024 Virginia Challenge.
  • This marks the second consecutive year where the Cavaliers have gone 1-2 in the event. Last year’s championship saw Nate Mountain and Virginia Track alum Derek Johnson earn the top two spots.Last season, Mountain became the fourth Cavalier since 1954 to win the 3000m steeplechase title at the ACC Outdoor Championship, while this season he became the second Cavalier to win the event in back-to-back seasons. Rob Cook won the ACC steeplechase title in 1993 and 1994.

Silver for Yasin
  • With an impressive run in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Yasin Sado earned his spot on the podium. Sado finished runner-up in a new personal-best 8:30.78.
  • Improving upon his personal best by three seconds, Sado remains ranked third all-time in program history.
  • Entering the final water jump, Sado was in third place and within striking distance of the leaders. With 100 meters to go, Sado made the surge that would solidify his silver medal status.
  • After earning Second Team All-ACC honors in the event last season, Sado upgraded to First Team All-ACC with his performance in Atlanta.

Bronze for Robinson
  • Ethan Robinson delivered a dominant performance in the men’s decathlon finishing third with a total 7435 points.
  • Robinson opened the second day of competition in the 110m hurdles crossing the line in 14.37 to just out lean his teammate Frasier in 14.43. Robinson and Frasier went second and third overall in the event.
  • On his second attempt in the discus, Robinson threw for 38.68m/126-11 which was good for fifth place.
  • Sitting in second place in the standings going into the pole vault, Robinson battled the gusty winds to clear 4.32m/14-2 on his first attempt to finish in seventh place for 708 points.
  • The junior recorded a new personal best in the javelin throwing for 50.66m/166-2 on his first attempt in the competition.
  • Heading into the final event, Robinson had already achieved a season-best 6817 points, just 231 away from the leader.
  • To cap off a grueling two days of competition, Robinson left if all on the track to clock a new personal-best 4:50.06 to finish sixth in the 1500m and solidify his podium finish.
  • Robinson upgraded his Second Team All-ACC from last season to First Team status this season.

Survive and Advance
  • Shane Cohen and Alex Leath recorded the top two fastest times in the men’s 800m qualifying. Cohen surged from the back of the pack with 200m to go to win the heat. Cohen crossed the line in 1:47.50 just head of Leath in second with a time of 1:47.77.
  • Peter Djan and Maggie Hock qualified for their second event final of the weekend. Djan equaled his personal-best 10.67 in the men’s 100m dash to secure his spot. Djan will also be featured in the final of the men’s 110m hurdles. Hock, who previously qualified in the 1500m, ran 2:06.20 to secure the final time qualifying position in the women’s 800m.=
  • Kayla Bonnick and Sarah Akpan handled business in the women’s 100m dash. Bonnick raced to a season-best 11.50 while Akpan crossed the line in 11.56 to earn one of the five coveted time qualifying spots.

Putting Points on the Board
  • At the end of the first two days of competition, the Virginia men are in second place with 52 points and the women are in eighth place with 18 points.
  • Samantha Romano had a strong day in the women’s pole vault clearing 4.17m/13-8.25 to finish fourth. Also in the women’s pole vault was Gabriella Recce clearing 3.92m/12-10.25 in seventh place.
  • Brooke Lumpkin and Janae Profit scored important points for Virginia in the women’s shot put. Lumpkin threw for 15.30m/50-2.50 on her third attempt in the competition to finish sixth overall. Not far behind was Profit in seventh with her mark of 15.28m/50-1.75 which came on her second appearance in the ring.
  • Mahkaia Lee wasted no time getting her mark on the board in the women’s long jump. Lee leapt out 5.95m/19-6.25 on her first trip down the runway to finish eighth in the field.
  • The duo of Tyler Zawatski and Thomas Dickinson remained poised in competition in men’s javelin. Zawatski finished fifth with his mark of 61.02m/200-2. The sophomore continued to better his mark on each of his first three throws. Similarly, Dickinson continued to better his mark on each attempt before throwing 59.96m/196-9 on his third throw to finish seventh.
Combined Events Update:
  • David Frasier was resilient in the men’s decathlon scoring a total of 6922 points to finish seventh and earn important team points.
  • Frasier opened the second day of competition with third place finish in the 110m hurdles crossing the line in 14.43 for 920 points.
  • He went on to record a season best mark on his opening throw in the discus competition before fouling his following three throws. Frasier’s mark of 40.48m/132-10 was good for fourth place overall.
  • Entering the eighth event of the multi, Frasier cleared 3.92m/12-10.25 on his second attempt to finish 11th.
  • The javelin throw saw new personal best marks in the 12-person field, with two of those bests coming by way of the Cavaliers. Frasier threw for 50.55m/165-10 on his second attempt to finish sixth overall.
  • In the final event, Frasier ran 5:12.99 for 1500m to finish 11th.
  • Elsa Spoor ended the heptathlon competition in eighth place with new personal-best 4522 points. Spoor started the second day by posting a new personal-best mark of 5.16m/16-11.25 in the long jump and threw 18.87m/61-11 in the javelin. Spoor ended the day winning the 800m leading from the gun to cross the line in 2:14.64. Just a freshman, Spoor scored a point in her first ACC Outdoor Championship as a Cavalier.
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. While two opportunities remain to earn points (track & field and baseball), Virginia has already clinched the title with 12 points to Virginia Tech’s 6.5.

Up Next:
The ACC Outdoor Championships will resume tomorrow (May 11) for the final day of competition beginning with the men’s high jump at 2 p.m.

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