Anumba, Lindsay and Seaman qualify for NCAA Championships in Eugene

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

In Bloomington, Ind., the Virginia women’s track and field team finished off the final day at the NCAA East Preliminaries with a bang as Ashley Anumba, Helena Lindsay and Jada Seaman all secured qualification to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 8-11.

After her first two throws in the discus, Anumba sat on the wrong side of the cutoff line to qualify for the national championships. On her third and final attempt, the third-seeded graduate transfer let go of a throw that sailed to a mark of 54.45 meters (178’7”) to secure her opportunity to compete for an NCAA Championship for the third time in her career.

Lindsay put down an amazing performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The senior paced an excellent race and positioned herself among the leaders throughout. Crossing the finish line fifth in her heat, Lindsay looked up at the electronic board in hopes that her personal-best time of 10:02.27 would be enough to send her to Eugene. Sure enough, the time earned her the 11th qualifying spot out of 12 and secured her first ever trip to the NCAA Championships. Lindsay’s time also moves her into fourth all-time at UVA in the event.

After missing qualification in the 100 meters, Seaman was on a mission in the 200-meter dash. The Maryland native had already set a school record in the prelims just two days prior and would have to do it again to earn her way to Eugene. Seaman was up for the task as she crossed the line at 23.00 and secured her second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. With the exception of the cancelled 2020 outdoor season, Seaman has advanced to an NCAA Championship in each indoor and outdoor season she has competed in.

Virginia will send a total of nine athletes on the men’s and women’s teams to Oregon to compete for national titles including: Ethan Dabbs (javelin), Claudio Romero (discus), Jacob Lemmon (discus), Owayne Owens (triple jump), Yasin Sado (3,000 meter steeplechase), Maria Deaviz (shot put), Anumba (discus), Lindsay (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Seaman (200 meters).

From Director of Track & Field Vin Lananna:

“I am very pleased with the way our team has competed all season. Our performances this week are an indicator of how well-rounded a team we have. This week we earned qualifications in a wide variety of events including throwers, sprinters, distance runners and jumpers. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete in Eugene at the national championships.”