Nubbe and Wachtel Win Gold as Virginia Men Lead after Day 1 of the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championships

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Virginia No.21 men’s and women’s track and field teams kickstarted competition at the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championships at Cardinal Track Stadium in Louisville, Ky. on Thursday (May 14) as Jeremiah Nubbe and Justin Wachtel won gold to lead the Virginia men's team to the top of the leaderboard after the first day of competition.

At the end of the first day of competition (4 of 21 events scored), the Virginia men lead the team standings with 43 points while the women sit in 10^th place with 12 points.  

• Jeremiah Nubbe won the men's hammer throw with his second-round mark of 72.19m/236-10.
• In the men's 10,000-meters, Justin Wachtel surged on the home stretch to cross the line in dramatic fashion clocking 29:38.58 for the win.
• Led by Wachtel, Will Anthony finished second to earn the silver medal with his time of 29:39.71.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝?!

Justin Wachtel & Will Anthony go 1-2 for the Hoos in the men's 10,000m 😤#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/D9jMPKPOcJ

— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) May 15, 2026

 

• Nikolaos Polychroniou finished third with his penultimate mark of 67.67m/222-0 in the men's hammer throw.
• Just behind Polychroniou was Cale Ayers in fourth place throwing for a new personal best of 67.60m/221-9. Ayers' mark ranks No. 5 all-time in program.
• Led by Nubbe's gold medal performances, the Cavaliers scored a total of 21 points in the men's hammer throw event.
• In the women's hammer throw, freshman Charlotta Sandkulla earned the bronze medal in her first outdoor ACC Championships with her sixth and final mark of 66.35m/217-8.
• Christiana Ellina finished third in the women's javelin on her final attempt down the runway throwing for 50.01m/164-1. 

 

• Anders Felts ran a new personal best of 51.53 to qualify to the final in the men's 400-meter hurdles.
• Felts' time ranks No. 8 all-time and No. 2 among freshmen in program history.
• Winning his heat in 3:54.66, Gary Martin secured an automatic qualifying bid to the final in the men's 1500-meters.
• Tatum David also earned an auto qualifier to the final in the women's 15000-meters winning her preliminary heat in 4:16.73. 

 

• Jayden McKeen finished fifth in the men's javelin with his mark of 61.97m/203-3 to earn second team All-ACC honors.
• Gage Gose just missed the final by one spot finishing 10^th in 51.95 in the men's 400-meter hurdles. 
• In the women's 400-meter hurdles, Brooke'Lyn Drakeford recorded a new personal best of 59.59.
• Theresa Breckley threw a new personal best in the women's hammer throw with her second-round mark of 58.48m/191-10. Her mark ranks No. 9 all-time in program history.
• In the women's 200-meter dash, Ma'Khi Falkquay clocked a season best of 23.89.
• Gillian Bushee finished ninth in the women's 10,000-meters crossing the line in 33:43.66. 

 

The top three finishers in each individual event at the ACC Championship will be named first-team All-ACC, along with each member of each first-place relay team. The fourth- through sixth-place finishers in each individual event will be named second-team All-ACC, along with each member of each second- and third-place relay team.

First Team: Will Anthony (10,000m), Christiana Ellina (Javelin), Jeremiah Nubbe (Hammer), Charlotta Sandkulla (Hammer), Nikolaos Polychroniou (Hammer) Justin Wachtel (10,000m)

Second Team: Cale Ayers (Hammer), Jayden McKeen (Javelin)

The Cavaliers continue competition at the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championships at Cardinal Track Stadium in Louisville, Ky. on Friday (May 15). Competition is set to begin with Cassie Callis and Elsa Spoor in the women's heptathlon at 11:30 a.m.