Caldwell, Deaviz, Seaman advance to NCAA Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s track and field program saw three competitors advance to the NCAA Championships on Thursday at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla.

In the long jump, sophomore Khyasia Caldwell and freshman Jada Seaman grabbed the final two spots in the field, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively. Caldwell equaled her personal best in the event on her first attempt with a jump of 6.26 meters (20’ 6.5”). Seaman was well back in the standings when she approached her third and final attempt. She posted a leap of 6.23 meters (20’ 5.25”) to edge out Virginia Tech’s Eszter Bajnok for the final qualifying spot by a quarter of an inch.

Freshman Maria Deaviz placed 12th in the shot put to secure the final qualifying spot in that event. Her best put was 16.08 meters (52’ 9.25”). She was one of two freshmen from the regional to advance to the national meet.

In the 800 meters, graduate student Michaela Meyer set the Hodges Stadium facility record in winning her heat and posting the top overall time (2:02.19) to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Also advancing to Saturday was senior Andrenette Knight in the 400-meter hurdles. The ACC champion in the event, she clocked a time of 55.90 to place first overall during the heats.

The meet continues Friday when the men’s teams return for their final day of competition. The women’s final events will take place Saturday.

The four-day competition is one of two qualifying sites for the 2021 NCAA Championships that will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12. The top-12 finishers from each individual event and top-12 relay teams advance from the East Preliminary Round to the national championships.