Fifteen current and former Virginia athletes participated in the 10-day U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, which concluded Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. Some had high hopes of qualifying, others had vague dreams. But in the end, only one Cavalier athlete qualified for the Paris Olympics. After a week and a half of intense competition, the field was whittled down to just a few competitors, including 2019 graduate Bridget Williams, who won the pole vault and made her first Olympic appearance.
Eight current and seven former Virginia athletes participated, a significant increase from the six total who competed in the Trials in 2021. For some Virginia athletes, the Trials was just a new event added onto their usually rigorous competitive season. For others, the Trials was the culmination of years of instruction and preparation, and for Williams, it all paid off.
But Williams not only qualified for the Olympics, she didn't just win the competition. She did it all by beating the record held by reigning Olympic champion Katie Moon. Williams leapt the first height and cleared the next five heights on her first attempt, the only athlete to do so, and she surpassed Moon and a host of other former Olympians to rise to the top of the leaderboard. The win was just another success added to the Virginia team's mountain of accomplishments.
In addition to Williams, five other runners advanced to the finals of their events. Current and former Virginia athletes performed well in the 3,000m hurdles final, with senior Yasin Sado taking fifth place, Class of 2023 Derek Johnson taking 10th and junior Nate Mountain taking 11th. Sado's time of 8:29.04 was second-best among collegiate athletes, just weeks after placing seventh at the NCAA Championships.
Henry Wynn, a 2017 graduate, placed sixth in the 1,500-meter final, 1.41 seconds under the Olympic standard despite missing the qualifying round, and senior Shane Cohen also placed sixth in the 800-meter final.
Two current Virginia runners also advanced to the semifinals in their events: junior Alex Sherman placed 21st in the 400-meter hurdles and senior Wes Porter placed 19th in the 1,500 meters.
Virginia's seven other competitors failed to make it past the first round. That group was made up of three current athletes (junior Margot Appleton and sophomore Gary Martin in the 1,500 meters and senior Jacob Lemon in the discus) and four former athletes (Class of 2022 Ethan Dabbs in the javelin, Class of 2021 Michaela Meyer in the 800 meters, Class of 2020 AJ Ernst in the 1,500 meters and 2019 graduate Kelly McKee in the triple jump).
The Olympics are fast approaching, but until recently, the Olympic athletes have been a mystery. Over the past few weeks, the spots have been filling up, slowly at first, and now rapidly as the sports hold their qualifying meets and release their rosters. More and more current and former athletes are earning spots. Seven of them are swam Of the team, two qualified for women's tennis and one was selected to the women's soccer roster.
Williams added another to her list Sunday by overcoming the intensity of what for many is the most pressure-filled event: qualifying. Winning qualifying secures an athlete lifetime Olympian status, regardless of what happens in the actual competition. Leaping over that hurdle and clearing the bar is often the more difficult and monumental feat. By literally clearing six bars on Sunday, Williams figuratively cleared the highest bar.
