Jacksonville, Florida - UMBC junior thrower losif Papa punched his ticket for next month's NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the discus after placing ninth at the 2025 NCAA East Regionals (University of North Florida) on Friday afternoon.
Papa's launch of 58.02 meters (190-4) on his third attempt provided the Nicosia, Cyprus native with his first trip to the national meet, which will take place in Eugene, Oregon, from June 11 to 14. The top 12 in the event all qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Papa turned in the top performance in his flight, and he came up just shy of his school record.
Papa came into the event ranked 13th in the east region with a school record throw of 59.12 meters (193'11), which occurred at the Maryland Invitational. He won the 2025 America East Championship (56.65 meters, 185'10) and then took the gold medal in the event (54.38 meters, 178-05) at the IC4A Championships.
Sophomore sprinter Alpha Balde just missed advancing to Eugene (top 12) as he placed 13th in the 200-meter dash with a new school-record time of 20.42. The final qualifier, Brody Buffington (Georgia), finished with a time of 20.32. Still, it was a breakout season for Balde as he won the America East Conference and IC4A championships in the event this spring.
