Young advances to NCAA Championships in pole vault

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Sam Young advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the pole vault competition thanks to his eighth-place finish at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla.

Young tied his personal best mark with a clearance of 5.25 meters (17’ 2.75”) on his initial attempt at the height to earn his first trip to the national championship meet. In three previous trips to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, his best finish was 15th-place.

Several other UVA men’s competitors advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal rounds of their respective events during Wednesday’s first-round competition.

In the 1500 meters, freshman Wes Porter grabbed one of five automatic-qualifying positions from his heat with a fourth-place finish. His time of 3:44.05 figured 10th overall for the competition.

Both seniors Jordan Willis and Brandon Outlaw moved into the quarterfinals in the 400 meters. By virtue of his third-place finish (46.45) in his heat, Willis grabbed an automatic-qualifying spot while Outlaw’s time (46.65) allowed him to be one of the next six best times outside of the heat automatic qualifiers to advance.

In the 10,000 meters, senior Rohann Asfaw failed to advance but his 14th-place finish did feature a personal-best time of 29:10.81 that ranks sixth on the UVA all-time performance list.

The Cavalier women begin their events at the meet on Thursday.

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.