Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site
Open Search
Track & Field
. Track & Field

Anthony and Fay Qualify for NCAA Championships while Five Cavaliers Advance to Quarterfinals

Live Results
UVA Notes
UVA Stats/Records
UVA Twitter
UVA Instagram
UVA Facebook
UVA Sports App

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Virginia men’s track and field team kickstarted competition on the opening day of the NCAA East Preliminaries on Wednesday (May 22) at the UK Outdoor Track & Field Facility in Lexington, Ky. as Will Anthony and John Fay punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships while Shane Cohen, James Donahue, Gary Martin, Alex Sherman and Wes Porter each advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Anthony Punched His Ticket
Will Anthony qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in his career after finishing runner-up in the men’s 10,000m with his time of 29:08.24.
  • Anthony hung with the leaders for the duration of the race before closing with a 62.84 second final lap to not only finish second but also solidify himself as a serious contender in Eugene.
  • While this is his first NCAA Championship, the New Zealand native is no stranger to success as he made the podium twice at the ACC Outdoor Championships earning silver in the 10,000m (29:18.80) and bronze in the 5000m (13:40.17).
  • In his first outdoor season as a Cavalier, Anthony set the school record in the 10,000m, earned two conference medals and punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
  • Anthony will look to be the first All-American in the event since Brent Demarest earned second-team honors for his performance at the championships in 2019.

Fay Bound for Eugene
John Fay qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in his career after placing 11th in the men’s hammer throw with his mark of 64.65m/212-1.
  • Fay bettered his 22nd place finish at the East Preliminary from a year ago where he threw for 62.65m/205-6.
  • Fay continued his dominant sophomore campaign in the post season after the Barrington, R.I. native finished third at the ACC Outdoor Championships throwing for 66.55m/218-4.
  • He will look to end the drought in pursuit of his first outdoor All-American status as the last Virginia athlete to earn honors at the NCAA meet was back in 2019 when Hilmar Orn Jonsson finished third throwing for 73.31m.

Donahue, Martin and Porter Advance in 1500m
Virginia advanced three of four athletes to the quarterfinals of the men’s 1500m which will take place on Friday evening.
  • The men’s 1500m quarterfinal will feature three Cavaliers including James Donahue, Gary Martin and Wes Porter.
  • Despite being boxed in, Donahue ran a strong race crossing the line in 3:44.56 to finish fifth in his heat and earn an automatic qualifying position.
  • Finishing second in the fourth heat, Martin stuck on the shoulder of the leaders for the duration of the race clocking 3:41.29 to earn an automatic bid to Friday’s quarterfinal where the sophomore will look to qualify for his first NCAA Outdoor Championship.
  • Porter surged in the final lap to win his heat running 3:44.68 to earn his spot in the quarterfinals.
  • Martin and Porter carry the momentum from the ACC Outdoor Championships where the two earned the silver and bronze.
Cohen Comes From Behind
  • Shane Cohen qualified though to the quarterfinals of the men’s 800m running 1:49.53 to win the first of six heats.
  • Cohen executed his race from the back of the pack before surging in the final 100m to best the field and secure an automatic qualifying position.
  • The senior comes off of winning the bronze medal at the ACC Outdoor Championships clocking new personal-best 1:46.89.
  • No stranger to NCAA competition, Cohen has twice finished top-ten in the 800m at the Division II NCAA Championships.
Sherman Advances in 400m Hurdles
  • In the men’s 400m hurdles, Alex Sherman earned an automatic bid to the quarterfinals finishing second in his heat clocking 51.63.
  • The junior has already bettered his finish from a year ago where he cleared the field of hurdles in 51.94 to finish 27th overall.
  • Poised and ready in championship settings, Sherman has twice medaled in the event at the ACC Outdoor Championships with the bronze in 2023 and silver in 2024.
More Performances:
  • In his first NCAA East Preliminary, freshman Alex Leath ran a strong race in the men’s 800m crossing the line in 1:49.73 to finish fourth in his heat and 28th overall.
  • A strong sophomore season came to an end for Tyler Zawatski who posted a mark of 56.77m/186-3 placing 43rd overall in the men’s javelin after advancing to the NCAA east preliminary round for the second time in his career.
  • Justin Rogers ended his sophomore season clearing 4.92m/16-1.75 in the men’s pole vault to finish 37th in his first NCAA post season appearance.
Up Next:
The Cavalier women will begin competition tomorrow (May 23) in Lexington, Ky. starting with Samantha Romano in the women’s pole vault at 12:00 p.m.

Related Stories