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cavalier sports JUNE 2019 9 getting to know Fourth-Year Track And Field Athlete Hilmar Jonsson T o say fourth-year Hilmar Jonsson's reputation preceded him before he enrolled at Virginia would be an understatement. A native of Reykjavik, Iceland, Jonsson was the 2016 Iceland national champion in the hammer throw. At age 16, he became the Icelandic national champion in the hammer and placed seventh in the 2013 European Junior Championships. Then, he qualified for the finals in the hammer at the 2014 World Junior Championships. Jonsson hasn't missed a beat since he joined the UVA track and field team. He earned All-America honors in the outdoor hammer throw in 2017 and 2018, and is an eight-time All-ACC performer. This year, he became the first athlete –– from any school –– to win four consecutive ACC crowns in the hammer throw, and just the second from UVA to achieve that feat in any event (Filip Mihaljevic, discus). In addition, Jonsson set Icelandic, Lannigan Field and UVA records in the hammer throw with a toss of 75.26 meters (246 feet, 11 inches) at the Virginia Grand Prix April 26-27. My advice to student-athletes is: Work hard. Do your homework and go to class. Get to know different people and talk to everyone. The primary challenge facing student-athletes today is: Too much to do and too little time in which to do it. The best thing about UVA is: The people. Why I chose UVA: I chose it mainly for the quality of the throws program. I also just liked the atmosphere when I came here for a visit. What I like the most about track and field: There are a lot of different characters you get to meet plus different people you get to talk to. You make great friends and have a lot of fun. The highlight of my athletic career: Definitely when we came in third as a team in the national championships (2017, outdoor) and became ACC champions for the fourth time in a row was pretty special. The most important thing I've learned from track and field: Hard work pays off in the end. My dream vacation would be: I've always wanted to go to Greece. The Greek Islands would be a dream vacation. — Mike Scandura Jonsson, who hails from Iceland, became the first athlete — from any school — to win four consecutive ACC crowns in the hammer throw. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA What/Who Is Your Favorite … TV show? "Modern Family" … movie? "Grown Ups 2" … actor and actress? Bradley Cooper and Angelina Jolie … musician/band? The Clash … place in Charlottesville? Jack Brown's and MidiCi, which is the most underrated pizza place in town … pro sports team? Liverpool Football Club … food? Steak and potatoes … UVA class? Greek Civilization with Andrej Petrovich … sport (other than track and field)? I like watching basket- ball and football, but back home I watched soccer with my dad [Jon Sigurjonsson] … person in history? Joe Strummer who's the lead singer of The Clash … type of literature? I like to read a lot of fiction and thrillers … pre-meet ritual? I always eat ice cream the night before a meet