Track & Field: Hoos set for ACC Championships in Atlanta this weekend

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The championship season begins for the Cavalier men’s and women’s track and field teams as they travel to Atlanta to compete at the 2024 ACC Outdoor Championships, to be held at Georgia Tech’s George C. Griffin Track and Field Facility from Thursday through Saturday.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Expanded coverage of the ACC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be streamed live each day via ACC Network Extra as follows: Thursday starting at 12:45 p.m. (field & combined events) and 6 p.m. (running events), Friday starting at 12:45 p.m. (field & combined events) and 6 p.m. (field & running events), and Saturday starting at 2 p.m. (field events) and 5 p.m. (field & running events) until the championship’s conclusion at approximately 9 p.m.

Links to the ACCNX live stream, live stats and the overall meet schedule are available at VirginiaSports.com. Updates will also be posted to the team’s official Twitter account (@UVAtfcc).

Thursday
Schedule
Live Results
Live Stream: 12:45 p.m. (Field & Combined Events)
Live Stream: 6 p.m. (Running Events)

Friday
Schedule
Live Results
Live Stream: 12:45 p.m. (Field & Combined Events)
Live Stream: 6 p.m. (Field & Running Events)

Saturday
Schedule
Live Results
Live Stream: 2 p.m. (Field Events)
Live Stream: 5 p.m. (Field & Running Events)

HOOS IN THE RANKINGS

Members of the Virginia men’s and women’s teams occupy 14 (men) and six (women) top-30 positions among their respective events in the NCAA this season. Check out the Virginiasports.com for the Cavaliers ACC Championship notes to see the full list of those ranked in the top-25 in the ACC. In the latest USTFCCCA poll, the Virginia men checked in at No.19 nationally.

Men (NCAA)
1. Nate Mountain – Jr., 3000mSC, 8:20.68
8. Gary Martin – So., 1500m, 3:37.66
9. Yasin Sado – Sr., 3000mSC, 8:34.08
12. Gary Martin – So., 5000m, 13:31.51
13. Nate Mountain – Jr., 5000m, 13:32.65
15. Jacob Lemmon – Jr., DT, 60.50m
18. Wes Porter – Sr., 1500m, 3:39.54
20. Will Anthony – Fr., 5000m, 13:35.50
22. John Fay – So., HT, 68.41m
22. Will Anthony – Fr., 10,000m, 28:21.93
24. Alex Sherman – Jr., 400mH, 50.54
25. James Donahue – Fr., 1500m, 3:40.27
27. Gary Martin – So., 800m, 1:47.46
30. Shane Cohen – Sr., 800m, 1:47.54

Women (NCAA)
4. Margot Appleton – Jr., 5000m, 15:18.21
8. Jenny Schilling – So., 10,000m, 32:44.19
13. Samantha Romano – So., PV, 4.34m
17. Margot Appleton – Jr., 1500m, 4.11.41
26. Esther Seeland – Sr., 1500m, 4:12.64
27. Anna Workman – Sr., 1500m, 4:12.73

THE START LINE

• Nate Mountain (3000mSC) and Margot Appleton (1500m) both lead the ACC in their individual events for which both are the reigning champions.
• A quartet of Cavaliers enter the competition ranked in the second position in their respective events. Athletes include Will Anthony (10,000m), Alex Sherman (400mH), Samantha Romano (pole vault) and Celia Rifaterra.
• Members of the Virginia men’s and women’s teams occupy 59 (men) and 51 (women) top-25 positions among their respective events in the ACC this season.

VIRGINIA AT THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• In 2023, the Virginia men placed third with 89.5 points while the women placed fifth with 76.5
• In all, 4 individual Cavaliers and one relay won ACC titles at last season’s ACC Championships with two individuals and two members of the relay returning in 2024.
• Virginia brought home five gold medals by way of Margot Appleton (1500m), Ethan Dabbs (javelin), Nate Mountain (3000mSC), Owayne Owens (triple jump) and the Virginia women’s 4x100m relay team.
• At last year’s championships, Ethan Dabbs made history becoming the first-ever competitor to win four ACC men’s javelin titles. Dabbs won the competition on his first throw of the competition as he marked 73.09m/239-9.
• While first to win four javelin titles, Dabbs became the 12th competitor to win four ACC titles in any men’s events. Among both men and women, he is only the 20th athlete to accumulate four titles.
• The Virginia men have won the ACC title once in program history (2009)
• Virginia’s men’s team has finished top-3 for four straight years
• The Cavalier women won their first five ACC titles (1983-87) but have not earned the title since then
• Virginia’s women have finished top-3 in two of their last four seasons

MOUNTAIN AND APPLETON LOOKING TO GO BACK-TO-BACK

• A season ago, Nate Mountain and Derek Johnson went 1-2 in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Mountain led the way with his time of 8:32.05, just ahead of Johnson’s 8:33.82. Virginia took three of the top-five spots to tally up 22 points with Yasin Sado in fifth with his time of 8:42.48.
• At the time, Mountain recorded a new personal-best and Virginia No.2 all-time performance. Although since then, Mountain has shattered the school record with NCAA leading time of 8:20.68.
• Margot Appleton won her first ACC title in the women’s 1500m leading the way with her time of 4:14.58. Appleton became the second Cavalier to win the women’s 1500m conference title under Head Coach Vin Lananna and the second in three seasons as she joins Michaela Meyer who won gold in 2021.
• The top-three in the women’s 1500m was majority Cavaliers as Esther Seeland earned the bronze clocking 4:16.82.

THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions. In men’s and women’s track and field, the points are awarded to the team that finishes highest at the ACC Championships. While two opportunities remain to earn points (track & field and baseball), Virginia has already clinched the title with 12 points to Virginia Tech’s 6.5.

UP NEXT

Following the ACC Outdoor Championships, the Cavaliers will turn their attention to the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries in Lexington, Ky. (May 25-29). Top 48 individuals (and 24 relays) in the east region will qualify for the meet and a chance to advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. (June 5-8).