Nine Cavaliers Qualify for 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Nine members of the Virginia track & field team qualified for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships based on their performances this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminaries at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Four UVA women - Sophie Atkinson, Ashley Anumba, Margot Appleton, and Alix Still - and five UVA men - Ethan Dabbs, Nate Mountain, Derek Johnson, Conor Murphy, and Owayne Owens - are headed to Austin, Texas to compete in the NCAA Championships from June 7-10. 

One Cavalier had qualified for NCAAs before this weekend's preliminaries, as fifth-year Alix Still is ranked 22nd nationally in the Heptathlon based on her program-record 5,662 points she scored in the event at the Virginia Challenger earlier this spring. 

For the third time in his decorated career at Virginia, fifth-year Ethan Dabbs has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the javelin after a fifth-place finish in the preliminaries thanks to a 72.90-meter throw on Wednesday. Dabbs is a four-time ACC Champion and two-time All-American in the javelin and was the silver medalist in the event in the 2022 NCAA Championships. 

Sophomore Sophie Atkinson placed eighth overall in the 10,000 meters with a personal-best time of 33:53.56 to qualify for NCAAs on Thursday. A native of Katy, Texas, Atkinson becomes the first Cavalier to qualify for NCAAs in the 10,000 meters since 2016 and will compete in the NCAA Championships in her home state. 

Virginia had two athletes qualify for NCAAs in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Sophomore Nate Mountain won his heat with a time of 8:37.40 as the top seed in the field and secures a berth to the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career. Mountain also won the ACC title in the event earlier in May. 

Joining Mountain in the 3000-meter steeplechase is fifth-year Derek Johnson, who qualified for NCAAs for the second time in his career by placing third in his heat with a time of 8:44.73. Johnson was a First-Team All-American after placing seventh in the event at the 2021 NCAA Championships. 

Junior Conor Murphy qualified in the 800 meters with a second-place finish, recording a time of 1:50.23. Murphy also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and was an All-American in the mile back in February. He was the runner-up in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships and earned Second-Team All-ACC at the Outdoor Championships. 

For the third-straight season, graduate Owayne Owens is headed to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump as he overcame windy conditions to post the fourth-best mark of 16.25 meters. Owens is a five-time All-American in the event between indoor and outdoor competition. 

“Our men have done a fantastic job of putting themselves in the right position to advance to the next round," said Virginia director of track & field Vin Lananna. "The windy conditions made things tough on everyone today, but our team did an exceptional job. It is great to see five excellent competitors move on to the NCAA Championships in Austin.”

Graduate student Ashley Anumba secured a berth in the NCAA Championships on Saturday in the discus, qualifying for the second-straight season by placing fifth in the event with a mark of 55.22 meters. Anumba won silver in the event at the ACC Championships and was a Second-Team All-American in discus at the 2022 NCAA Championships. 

Also on Saturday, Margot Appleton earned her first NCAA Outdoor Championships qualification with a third-place finish in the 1500 meters in a time of 4:14.54. This will be Appleton's third appearance in an NCAA Championship this season, as the sophomore runner earned a top 10 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships back in November and was a First-Team All-American in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. 

“Our women delivered excellent performances this week," said Vin Lananna. "I am very proud of Sophie Atkinson, Ashley Anumba, Margot Appleton and Alix Still who will all advance to represent the University of Virginia in a variety of event areas at the NCAA Championships in a few weeks.”

Virginia will send its nine qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas from June 7-10. 

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