Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics
Maria Deaviz Breaks UVA Record, Earns First-Team All-American in Shot Put
On Thursday night at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Maria Deaviz became the first Cavalier ever to earn First-Team All-American honors in the women's shot put at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Deaviz broke her own UVA record with a 17.97-meter throw that resulted in a fourth-place finish in the event.
Deaviz, a sophomore from Souderton, Pennsylvania, missed a spot on the podium by less than a tenth of a meter, as Nebraska's Axelina Johansson had a throw of 18.06 meters to secure third place. After recording a 19th-place finish with a throw of 16.36 meters at the 2021 NCAA Championships, Deaviz returned to the national stage a year later and improved her throw by nearly two meters and moved up 15 spots to finish fourth, earning a First-Team All-American selection. Four of Deaviz' six attempts in the event surpassed her previous best, which was already a school record.
“Maria is a ferocious competitor and we saw that on full display with her performance tonight," said Virginia Director of Track & Field Vin Lananna. "All-American status is an incredible accomplishment that is well deserved.”
Deaviz is the third Virginia athlete to earn All-American honors this week in Eugene. On the first night of competition on Wednesday, Ethan Dabbs earned a First-Team All-American selection as the national runner-up in the javelin and Yasin Sado finished 14th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:41.63, earning Second-Team All-American honors.
Two other UVA athletes competed in Thursday's events at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Sophomore Helena Lindsay became just the fourth Cavalier in history to compete in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing 19th. Sophomore Jada Seaman competed in the women's 200-meter, finishing 23rd.
On Friday night, Cavaliers Claudio Romero and Jacob Lemmon will be among the competitors in the men's discus, which begins at 8:35pm. Owayne Owens will also compete in the men's triple jump on Friday at 9:20pm.
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