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Virginia Women Win ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Title

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams closed out a thrilling weekend of competition at the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in which the Virginia women won the first women’s team title since 1987 and the sixth team title in program history scoring a total of 93 points at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University on Saturday (May17).

Back-to-Back-to-BACK 
  • Margot Appleton won her third straight ACC Outdoor 1500-meter title fending off Silvia Jelelgo of Clemson in second.
  • Appleton edged out Jelelgo clocking 4:11.28 to the Clemson Tiger’s 4:11.61.

Setting a High Bar
  • Celia Rifaterra continued her undefeated season winning the women’s high jump competition clearing a personal-best 1.86m/6-1.25.
  • After clearing the first two bars on her first attempt, Rifaterra began clearing on her third attempt.
  • Rifaterra is just the second Virginia woman to win gold in the women’s high jump alongside Ann Blair from 1983.
  • Carly Tarentino equaled her personal best of 1.80m/5-10.75 to tie for second place in the competition. She cleared each of her three bars on her first attempt at each height before knocking the bar down at 1.83m/6-0.
  • For their performance, both Rifaterra and Tarentino earned first team All-ACC honors.

Gold for Christiana Ellina
  • Christiana Ellina won the women’s javelin throw on her sixth and final attempt in the competition throwing for 52.44m/172-0.
  • Ellina brought home the first ACC gold medal and first team All-ACC honors in the women’s javelin since Meghan Briggs in 2010.

Freshman Phenom
  • Maya Rollins won the silver medal in the women’s 100-meter hurdles clocking 13.42.
  • Rollins already owns the freshman record in the event which she set in the prelims of 13.33. Her time also ranks third all-time in program history.
  • For her performance, Rollins earned first team All-ACC honors.

Hurdle Dominance
  • Alex Sherman brought home the bronze medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles clocking a new personal best of 49.98.
  • Sherman’s time broke the Virginia record which previously stood at 50.02 by Steve Delice in 2010.
  • His time ranks 17th in the NCAA and eighth in the east region this season.
  • This marks the third consecutive year in which Sherman has made the podium at the ACC Outdoor Championships, winning the silver medal in the event a year ago and bronze in 2023.

More Notable Performances
  • Virginia went three for three qualifying to the final of the women’s javelin with Christiana Ellina, Abigail Meckes and Siobhan Loughney.
  • Ellina won gold while Meckes (42.61m/130-3) and Loughney (42.23m/138-6) finished seventh and ninth.
  • Emily Alexandru ran a strong race in the women’s 400-meter hurdles clocking a new personal-best 58.13. In her first ACC Outdoor final, Alexandru finished fifth and earned second team All-ACC honors. She moves up to No.7 all-time in program history.
  • Lily Hulland earned second team All-ACC honors in the women’s triple jump finishing fifth with her mark of 12.89m/42-3.50 (+3.0).
  • On her third event of the weekend, Estel Valeanu finished fourth in the women’s discus throwing for 55.93m/183-6.
  • Both men’s and women’s 4×100-meter relay teams recorded season best times. The women’s quartet of Ariel Fletcher, Lola Kolawole, Sophia Akpan and Sarah Akpan just missed the podium by one spot finishing fourth in 44.30. The four tied for the fifth fastest time in school record.
  • The men’s contingent of Evans White IV, Jacob Garnett, Jerlan Fish and Peter Djan combined efforts to stop the clock at 40.91.
  • Will Daley grabbed a point in the men’s 1500-meters clocking 3:46.49 for eighth place.
  • In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Peter Djan ran his way to a seventh-place finish crossing the line in 13.97.
  • Running a season-best 23.13, Sarah Akpan finished sixth to earn important points for the team and second team All-ACC honors.
  • After winning the women’s 1500-meters, Margot Appleton returned to the track in the women’s 5000-meters. Appleton was the top Cavalier finisher in seventh place with her time of 15:52.55.
  • Not far behind Appleton was Jenny Schilling (15:53.43) and Gillian Bushee (16:04.33) in ninth and 13th place, both recording new personal best times. With their times, Schilling moves up to No.3 all-time while Bushee moves up to No.6 in program history.
  • The 4×400-meter relay team of Sarah Akpan, Ariel Fletcher, Emily Alexandru and Brooke’Lyn Drakeford ran a season-best 3:33.14 to finish in sixth place and secure the team title for the Cavaliers. Their time ranks third in program history.
Thursday/Friday ACC Medalists & All-ACC:
  • Jenny Schilling won the women’s 10,000-meters clocking 33:22.34.
  • Keyandre Davis won the bronze medal in the men’s hammer throw with a new personal best mark of 67.12m/220-2. With his mark, Davis moved up to No.5 all-time in program history.
  • John Fay (63.72m/209-1, 6th) and Annika Kelly (64.81m/212-7 PB, 4th) earned second team All-ACC honors in the men’s and women’s hammer throw. Kelly also broke her own school record which she set earlier in the season.
  • Estel Valeanu earned second team All-ACC accolades in the women’s shot put throwing for 16.47m/54-0.50 to finish fifth.
All-ACC Finishes:
The Cavalier men and women accumulated a total of 14 All-ACC performances over the course of the meet:
  • First team men: Keyandre Davis (HT), John Fay (HT), Alex Sherman (400mH)
  • First Team women: Emily Alexandru (400mH), Margot Appleton (1500m), Christiana Ellina (JT), Celia Rifaterra (HJ), Maya Rollins (100mH), Jenny Schilling (10,000m), Carly Tarentino (HJ)
  • Second team women: Sarah Akpan (200m), Lily Hulland (TJ), Annika Kelly (HT), Estel Valeanu (SP, DT)

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. Virginia has already clinched the title; the Cavaliers get the point on the women’s side while the Hokies take the men’s point. With one more opportunity (baseball) to earn points, Virginia has a total of 14 points while Virginia Tech has 7 points.

Final Team Standings:
Women:
1. Virginia – 93
2. Louisville – 89
3. Clemson – 86
4. Florida State – 73
5. Duke – 72
6. California – 61
7. Miami – 51
8. North Carolina – 48
9. Stanford – 46
9. Virginia Tech – 46
11. NC State – 45
12. Notre Dame – 38
13. Pittsburgh – 23
14. SMU – 13
15. Wake Forest – 13
16. Georgia Tech – 11
17. Syracuse – 8
18. Boston College – 3

Men:
1. Duke – 86
2. North Carolina – 82
3. California – 79.83
4. Virginia Tech – 78.33
5. Florida State – 74
6. Clemson – 70
7. Pittsburgh – 61
8. Louisville – 50,33
9. Miami – 50
10. NC State – 40
11. Stanford 38.5
13. Wake Forest – 28
13. Virginia – 25
14. Notre Dame – 20
15. Syracuse – 19
16. Georgia Tech – 15

Boston College – 0

Up Next
Virginia will continue the championship portion of the season with the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday (May28) through Saturday (May 31) before heading to Eugene, Ore. for the NCAA Outdoor Championships Wednesday (June 11) through Saturday (June 14).

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