Track & Field: Romero, Maric earn USTFCCCA Regional Awards

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia’s Claudio Romero and Martin Maric have been honored by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the Men’s Southeast Regional Field Athlete of the Year and the Men’s Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, the USTFCCCA announced Thursday.

Following a dominant season throwing the discus, Romero lands the regional award for the second-consecutive season after securing the honor in 2021.

This season, Romero won the discus title besting the Mykolas Alekna, the collegiate record holder, by a margin of just two centimeters with his mark of 66.17 meters (217’1”). Romero went undefeated in the event in 2022 racking up a total of nine wins in the event.

At Penn Relays, Romero let go of his career-best throw reaching 67.02 meters (219’10”). That mark set a meet-record at the historic competition and took down an ACC record. At the ACC Championships, the Chilean secured 10 points for his team in the discus as he won gold for the second-straight season setting an ACC Championships record (66.21m / 217’3”). Romero surpassed the 65-meter mark on five throws this season.

Maric picks up the honor for the second time in his tenure at Virginia after receiving the regional nod in 2015. In addition to Romero’s incredible season in the discus, Maric oversaw an impressive comeback campaign from Ethan Dabbs in the javelin.

The Pennsylvania native underwent Tommy John surgery over the summer and bounced back throwing past the 80-meter mark on two separate occasions while claiming his third-straight ACC title as well as All-American status with a runner-up performance at the NCAA Championships.

This season, Maric’s throwers racked up 18 points at the NCAA Championships leading the Cavaliers to a 14th-place finish overall.

The Virginia throwers earned 27 points at the ACC Championships where the Wahoos placed third. Maric coached three All-ACC throwers and three All-Americans this season.