Cavaliers dominate VaSID Women’s Track and Field All-State Team

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia took four major categories on the inaugural Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Division Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-State team.

The team was nominated and voted on by college athletics media relations professionals from around the state.

After a spring that established her as the best in the country, Virginia’s Michaela Meyer was also named the State Track Athlete of the Year. Meyer won the NCAA Championship in the 800m in early June, becoming the first woman in UVA track & field history to win an individual NCAA title. Her national-championship time of 2:00.28, in addition to being a school record (at the time), was also the ninth-fastest collegiate race ever. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Meyer was the only amateur athlete to make the 800m finals, where she finished fourth overall in another school record time of 1:58.55. She was also an honorable-mention All-American as part of the Cavaliers’ 4x400m relay that finished 17th overall at the NCAA Championships. Meyer also won the ACC title in the 1,500m, and owns the program record in that event at 4:09.78.

UVA sprinting sensation Jada Seaman was named the State Track Rookie of the Year, after earning first-team All-State honors in four different event groups. At the NCAA Championships, she earned a pair of All-America accolades, helping the Cavaliers place 16th overall in the 4x100m relay and 17th in the 4x400m, and helped set school records in both events. Individually, she won the ACC title in the long jump at 6.56m, the second-longest jump in program history, and advanced to the NCAA finals where she finished ninth overall for second-team All-America honors. Seaman also sizzled in the short springs, breaking the UVA freshman records in both the 100m (11.44) and 200m (23.22), and taking fourth overall at the ACC Championships in the latter event.

Winning Field Rookie of the Year honors was Maria Deaviz who was named honorable mention All-America in the shot put, finishing 19th overall at the NCAA Championships. She also took fourth at the ACC Championships in the event, and won the shot put a total of five times over the course of the spring. After just one season, Deaviz already owns the program record in the shot put, with a best mark of 17.18m.

Virginia director of track and field and cross country, Vin Lananna, was named the State Coach of the Year after guiding the Virginia women’s team to a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the program’s best showing since 1983. A total of 10 athletes and two relays made it to the NCAA Championships, with five of those athletes scoring and earning first-team All-America honors led by Meyer’s NCAA title in the 800m. Three Cavaliers qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and 11 were named first-team All-ACC in Lananna’s first outdoor season at the helm in Charlottesville.

Also honored on Thursday were the members of the first- and second- all-state teams. Nineteen athletes and two relays representing every NCAA event group were honored on each team. Virginia led the way on the first team with 10 honorees, while Virginia Tech and Liberty had four and three, respectively. Richmond had a pair of first-team honors, while George Mason and Norfolk State had one each. The second team included five each from Liberty and VCU, with Richmond contributing another four. Virginia Tech, Virginia, and George Mason had two honorees apiece, and Norfolk State and William & Mary contributed one winner each.