Appleton, Rifaterra, Tarentino and Valeanu Punch Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championships

• Winning the first heat of two, Appleton executed a strategic race crossing the line in 4:08.04 which was good for sixth overall.
• Appleton has been the national leader in the event for much of the season with her personal best and school record time of 4:05.68 from the 2025 Raleigh Relays. Her time ranks fourth all-time in collegiate history.
• Less than three hours later, Appleton toed the line in the women’s 5000-meters where she finished second in her heat and second overall.
• Appleton secured an automatic bid to the championships clocking 15:25.99.
• At the NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago, Appleton finished fourth in the 5000-meters in a time of 15:24.24 to earn first-team All-American honors.
• The top five in each heat and the next two fastest times advance.
• Dominant all season, Appleton will look to make noise in the 1500-meters and 5000-meters at the national level.

  Light work, no reaction 😎

  Margot Appleton cruises the finish to win heat 1 of the women's 1500m quarterfinal (4:08.04)!#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/hjnWBxSYcP

  — Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) May 31, 2025

• Rifaterra cleared 1.82m/5-0.25 on her first attempt at the height to finish third overall to earn a qualifying position.
• The junior cleared the first two bars on her first attempt before getting over the bar at 1.79m/5-10.50 cleanly on her third attempt.
• This marks her second time in two years qualifying to Eugene in the women’s high jump.
• Last season, Rifaterra was the first Cavalier to qualify for the outdoor championships in the event since Sherry Gauld in 1993.
• For the first time in her career, Tarentino qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• Tarentino cleared1.79m/5-10.50 on her first attempt to tie for eighth place and earn a qualifying spot. The senior cleared all three bars on her first attempt.
• The top 12 athletes between the two flights advance.

• Stella Kermes ran a two second personal best in the women’s 1500-meter quarterfinal clocking 4:13.26. Her time ranks seventh all-time in program history and betters her freshman all-time No.2 mark.
• Lily Hulland (12.52m/41-1) and Lauren Yeboah-Kodie (12.50m/41-0.25) competed in the women’s triple jump finishing in 25th and 27th place.
• Gillian Bushee rounded out the weekend in the 5000-meters clocking 16:18.06. Bushe also competed in the women’s 10,000-meters earlier in the competition, crossing the line in a new personal best of 33:55.82.

Complete List of Virginia Qualifiers
Men

Women

Up Next:
Virginia’s 11 individual qualifiers between the men and women will compete at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. from June 11-14.