Ethan Dabbs punches his ticket to Eugene at NCAA East Preliminaries

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s track and field team opened competition Wednesday at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Bloomington, Ind., where Ethan Dabbs ensured that his historic season will continue as he punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Dabbs entered the meet as the NCAA leader in the javelin with the objective of advancing to the NCAA Championships. Battling unpredictable wind patterns, the senior showed poise and experience as he let go of a throw that soared 77.06 meters (252’10”) to secure third place in the competition and an opportunity to compete for an NCAA title. Dabbs will make his first appearance in the NCAA Championships since his freshman campaign in 2019.

In the men’s 1500 meters, Wes Porter came one step closer to qualifying for the National Championships. It was a trademark race for the second-year as he hung around the middle of the pack for the majority of the race. With a powerful kick in the final 200 meters, Porter vaulted into second place to secure qualification for the NCAA quarterfinals on Friday in hopes of earning his first trip to the NCAA Championships.

Though Evangelos Fradelakis failed to advance to the NCAA Championships, the graduate transfer did turn in a personal-best performance recording a mark of 64.88 meters (212’10”) in the hammer throw. The mark is the fourth-best in UVA history.

The women’s competition is set to begin Thursday, where Alix Still and Jada Seaman will open competition for the Hoos in the long jump beginning at 2 p.m.

The four-day competition is one of two qualifying sites for the 2021 NCAA Championships that will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 8-11. The top-12 finishers from each individual event and top-12 relay teams advance from the East Preliminary Round to the national championships.

From Director of Track and Field Vin Lananna:

“We competed well through the first day today. Ethan Dabbs and Wes Porter turned in great performances to continue to advance. Now it is all about what we can do on Friday and Saturday; we are looking forward to that challenge.”