Cavaliers Now

Maria Deaviz Breaks UVA Record, Earns First-Team All-American in Shot Put

Deaviz placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, becoming the first Cavalier woman to ever earn First-Team All-American honors in shot put

Matt Newton

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics

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.Β 

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.Β 

β€œMaria 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.Β 

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.Β 

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.Β 

See this link for more information about the Virginia athletes competing in the 2022 NCAA Track & Field Championships, including the schedule of events and how to watch the competition.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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