Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams continue post season competition at the 2026 NCAA East First Round hosted by the University of Kentucky at the UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex on Wednesday, as four Cavaliers punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and two qualified to Friday’s quarterfinal rounds.

TICKET PUNCHED

• Jeremiah Nubbe bested the field in the men’s hammer throw with his mark of 70.47m/231-2.
• Nikolaos Polychroniou finished third in the men’s hammer with his mark of 69.01m/226-5 for his first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a Virginia uniform.
• Throwing a persoanl best and Virginia No. 5 mark of 68.75m/225-6, Cale Ayers finished fourth in the men’s hammer competition to punch his ticket to Eugene, Ore.
• Will Anthony punched his second career ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men’s 10,000-meters. Anthony clocked 28:52.96 to finish ninth in the field of 48.
• Twelve competitors from each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event advance from each First Round site.

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

• Winning heat one of four, Gary Martin earned an automatic qualifying bid to the quarterfinal in the men’s 1500-meters. Martin clocked 3:47.70 which was good for 27th overall.
• In the men’s 800-meters, Sam Rodman finished third in heat four to earn an automatic qualifying bid to the quarterfinals in the men’s 800 meters clocking 1:47.51.

MORE PERFORMANCES

• In the men’s 1500-meters, Billy Atkinson finished 24th crossing the line in 3:46.86.
• In his NCAA East First Round debut, freshman Anders Felts finished 36th in the men’s 400-meter hurdles clocking 51.59.
• Peter Djan finished 33rd in the men’s 110m-meter hurdles clocking 14.02 (+0.8).

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers continue competition in Lexington on Thursday, beginning with the women’s hammer at 10 a.m., while action on the track is set to begin at 6 p.m., when the gun goes off for the women’s 100-meter hurdles first round.

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