EUGENE, OR – UMBC junior thrower losif Papa finished 17th in the county in the discus to earn All-American honorable mention accolades at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday afternoon in Eugene, Oregon.
Papa just missed earning All-American honors (top 16) as he recorded a throw of 56.98 meters (186-11). Papa’s top throw came in the second round. Maxwell Otterdahl (Nebraska) just edged Papa for the final All-America slot with a toss of 57.07 meters (187-3).
Papa punched his ticket for the event after placing ninth at the 2025 NCAA East Regionals in late May. 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. Papa turned in the top performance in his flight, and he came up just shy of his school record.
Papa came into the regionals ranked 13th in the east 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 meet.
