Saturday, March 13
Fayetteville, Ark.
All Day
University of Georgia
at
NCAA Indoor Championships
Track Secures Pair Of Top-Five Team Finishes At NCAAs
March 13, 2021 | Track & Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- Georgia combined for top-five team finishes at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships for the third time in four national meets on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Highlighted by a pair of national individual champions, the sixth-ranked Bulldog men scored 35 points to take third, one point and one spot ahead of Florida, to tie the best finish in school history. Oregon (79) cruised to the title over second-place LSU (56).
The fourth-ranked Georgia women tallied 31 points to finish fifth, also one point and one spot ahead of Florida. Arkansas took advantage of 17 points in the 3000 meters late in the meet to clinch the win with 68 points. Texas A&M (57), LSU (39) and USC (35) made up second through fourth, respectively.
The Georgia men were fourth in 2017, third in 2018 and ninth in 2019 (there was no 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelation). After taking 10th in 2013, the Lady Bulldogs were third in 2014-16, second in 2017, national champions in 2018 and 20th in 2019.
"Both of our teams came out today with some amazing performances, historic scores, blazing-fast times and two top-five finishes that add to our tradition finishing in the elite of the country," said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou. "I'm extremely proud of everyone that's in Arkansas from our student-athletes to our staff. It take a great deal of organization, timing and precision to be consistent in one of the most detailed sports on the planet.
"Georgia has become a powerhouse and we are proud of it, especially when our previous class graduated with a championship and these new hungry Dawgs started knocking on the door of a new title. I'm am excited to see what we can do outdoors as we have some major players who only have outdoor eligibility left, plus the ones from indoor that were baptized in fire and earned tier stars! Overall, Georgia track and field has shown once again that we are becoming a traditional power. Go Dawgs!"
Georgia's highlight on Saturday came when sophomore Matthew Boling blew past his school record and became the No. 5 all-time collegiate performer by winning the 200m final. A native of Houston, Texas, Boling took off in the second group of the 200m final to clock a 20.19 and edge LSU senior Terrance Laird (20.20) by .01. This tops Boling's previous school record of 20.37, gives him the No. 6 all-time collegiate performance and makes him the fastest 200m runner in the world this year.
The Bulldogs had another trio of scoring All-America finishes on Saturday to go a perfect 4-for-4 in scoring opportunities on the meet's final day. Sophomore Jasmine Moore scored in the triple jump a day after finishing in the top eight in the long jump as well. Boling, sophomore Caleb Cavanaugh, senior Delano Dunkley and junior Elija Godwin became the first scoring All-Americans indoor in the 4x400m relay in school history by registering a time just off their UGA record clocked earlier this season.
In addition, senior Jessica Drop, once an indoor All-American in the 5000m and twice a cross country All-American, earned her first certificate in the 3000m with the second-best time of her career. Reminiscent of her fourth-place finish in the 5000m to help clinch Georgia's 2018 NCAA team title, Drop scored her team's final three points this year to help push the Lady Bulldogs from seventh to fifth.
During day two action on Friday, sophomores Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland completed a historic 1-2 finish in the heptathlon with the No. 2 and No. 4 all-time collegiate scores. Senior Kayla Smith earned a silver medal in the pole vault with a personal-best performance. Sophomore Anna Hall was third in the high jump during her first NCAA indoor meet experience with yet another performance over 6 feet. Boling went farther than 25 feet to earn his first two points with a seventh-place finish in the long jump. Moore also scored in the long jump thanks to an eighth-place finish for another All-America certificate.
On Thursday, Hall scored 4,401 points in the pentathlon to give the Georgia women their first eight points.
For results of the meet, please visit: gado.gs/6h7
Where To Catch The NCAA Championships: The ESPN broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien and John Anderson and a tape delay special of the Championships will air on ESPNU on Sunday at 9 p.m.
Moore, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, overcame three fouls to reach 45 feet, ½ inch on her third attempt to lock down fourth in the triple jump. This marked Moore's fifth time during her two-year collegiate career to travel past the 45-foot mark and was the first scoring All-American in the event for Georgia since collegiate record holder Keturah Orji won her third straight crown in 2018.
Only minutes after Boling set the track on fire in the 200m, he returned to the oval for the finale of the men's portion of the meet, the 4x400m relay. Boling started the relay with a split of 45.28 to put the Bulldogs in striking position. Following Cavanaugh and Dunkley's legs, including Cavanaugh's 46.45 split, Godwin registered the fastest 400m (44.21) of anyone from the 12 teams to cross the finish line just .12 seconds from Georgia's school record at the Southeastern Conference Championships on the same track.
Drop set a school record in the 3000m earlier in the year in Arkansas' Tyson Track Center. On Saturday in the second to last event of the meet, Drop ran the second-fastest time of her career at 9:05.98 after coming into the meet seeded 11th. With her team's placing on the line, Drop picked up her pace to 33 and 34 seconds over each of the last two laps to finish less than a second in front of the seventh-place finisher.
The Bulldogs start the outdoor season directly with the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta on March 19-20. Georgia will play host a pair of home meets: Spec Towns Invitational – April 9-10; Torrin Lawrence Memorial – April 30-May 1.
Results and recaps from the NCAA Indoor Championships will be found at georgiadogs.com. News and updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams are always located on Twitter/Instagram at @UGATrack.
Bulldog Day 1 Scorers
Name Event Finish (Mark/Time)
Anna Hall Pentathlon 2nd (4,401 pts.)
Day 2 Scorers
Karel Tilga Heptathlon 1st ($=6,264 pts.)
Kyle Garland Heptathlon 2nd (+6,200 pts.)
Kayla Smith W. Pole Vault 2nd (*14-5.50)
Anna Hall W. High Jump 3rd (6-1.50)
Matthew Boling M. Long Jump 7th (25-5.25)
Jasmine Moore W. Long Jump 8th (21-0)
Day 3 Scorers
Matthew Boling M. 200m 1st ($!20.19)
Jasmine Moore W. Triple Jump 4th (45-0.50)
Matthew Boling, Caleb Cavanaugh, Delano Dunkley, Elija Godwin
M. 4x400m 4th (3:04.84)
Jessica Drop W. 3000m 6th (9:05.98)
$school record; *personal best; =No. 2 all-time collegiate score; +No. 4 all-time collegiate score; !No. 5 all-time collegiate performer/No. 6 all-time collegiate performance
###
Highlighted by a pair of national individual champions, the sixth-ranked Bulldog men scored 35 points to take third, one point and one spot ahead of Florida, to tie the best finish in school history. Oregon (79) cruised to the title over second-place LSU (56).
The fourth-ranked Georgia women tallied 31 points to finish fifth, also one point and one spot ahead of Florida. Arkansas took advantage of 17 points in the 3000 meters late in the meet to clinch the win with 68 points. Texas A&M (57), LSU (39) and USC (35) made up second through fourth, respectively.
The Georgia men were fourth in 2017, third in 2018 and ninth in 2019 (there was no 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelation). After taking 10th in 2013, the Lady Bulldogs were third in 2014-16, second in 2017, national champions in 2018 and 20th in 2019.
"Both of our teams came out today with some amazing performances, historic scores, blazing-fast times and two top-five finishes that add to our tradition finishing in the elite of the country," said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou. "I'm extremely proud of everyone that's in Arkansas from our student-athletes to our staff. It take a great deal of organization, timing and precision to be consistent in one of the most detailed sports on the planet.
"Georgia has become a powerhouse and we are proud of it, especially when our previous class graduated with a championship and these new hungry Dawgs started knocking on the door of a new title. I'm am excited to see what we can do outdoors as we have some major players who only have outdoor eligibility left, plus the ones from indoor that were baptized in fire and earned tier stars! Overall, Georgia track and field has shown once again that we are becoming a traditional power. Go Dawgs!"
Georgia's highlight on Saturday came when sophomore Matthew Boling blew past his school record and became the No. 5 all-time collegiate performer by winning the 200m final. A native of Houston, Texas, Boling took off in the second group of the 200m final to clock a 20.19 and edge LSU senior Terrance Laird (20.20) by .01. This tops Boling's previous school record of 20.37, gives him the No. 6 all-time collegiate performance and makes him the fastest 200m runner in the world this year.
The Bulldogs had another trio of scoring All-America finishes on Saturday to go a perfect 4-for-4 in scoring opportunities on the meet's final day. Sophomore Jasmine Moore scored in the triple jump a day after finishing in the top eight in the long jump as well. Boling, sophomore Caleb Cavanaugh, senior Delano Dunkley and junior Elija Godwin became the first scoring All-Americans indoor in the 4x400m relay in school history by registering a time just off their UGA record clocked earlier this season.
In addition, senior Jessica Drop, once an indoor All-American in the 5000m and twice a cross country All-American, earned her first certificate in the 3000m with the second-best time of her career. Reminiscent of her fourth-place finish in the 5000m to help clinch Georgia's 2018 NCAA team title, Drop scored her team's final three points this year to help push the Lady Bulldogs from seventh to fifth.
During day two action on Friday, sophomores Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland completed a historic 1-2 finish in the heptathlon with the No. 2 and No. 4 all-time collegiate scores. Senior Kayla Smith earned a silver medal in the pole vault with a personal-best performance. Sophomore Anna Hall was third in the high jump during her first NCAA indoor meet experience with yet another performance over 6 feet. Boling went farther than 25 feet to earn his first two points with a seventh-place finish in the long jump. Moore also scored in the long jump thanks to an eighth-place finish for another All-America certificate.
On Thursday, Hall scored 4,401 points in the pentathlon to give the Georgia women their first eight points.
For results of the meet, please visit: gado.gs/6h7
Where To Catch The NCAA Championships: The ESPN broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien and John Anderson and a tape delay special of the Championships will air on ESPNU on Sunday at 9 p.m.
Moore, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, overcame three fouls to reach 45 feet, ½ inch on her third attempt to lock down fourth in the triple jump. This marked Moore's fifth time during her two-year collegiate career to travel past the 45-foot mark and was the first scoring All-American in the event for Georgia since collegiate record holder Keturah Orji won her third straight crown in 2018.
Only minutes after Boling set the track on fire in the 200m, he returned to the oval for the finale of the men's portion of the meet, the 4x400m relay. Boling started the relay with a split of 45.28 to put the Bulldogs in striking position. Following Cavanaugh and Dunkley's legs, including Cavanaugh's 46.45 split, Godwin registered the fastest 400m (44.21) of anyone from the 12 teams to cross the finish line just .12 seconds from Georgia's school record at the Southeastern Conference Championships on the same track.
Drop set a school record in the 3000m earlier in the year in Arkansas' Tyson Track Center. On Saturday in the second to last event of the meet, Drop ran the second-fastest time of her career at 9:05.98 after coming into the meet seeded 11th. With her team's placing on the line, Drop picked up her pace to 33 and 34 seconds over each of the last two laps to finish less than a second in front of the seventh-place finisher.
The Bulldogs start the outdoor season directly with the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta on March 19-20. Georgia will play host a pair of home meets: Spec Towns Invitational – April 9-10; Torrin Lawrence Memorial – April 30-May 1.
Results and recaps from the NCAA Indoor Championships will be found at georgiadogs.com. News and updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams are always located on Twitter/Instagram at @UGATrack.
Bulldog Day 1 Scorers
Name Event Finish (Mark/Time)
Anna Hall Pentathlon 2nd (4,401 pts.)
Day 2 Scorers
Karel Tilga Heptathlon 1st ($=6,264 pts.)
Kyle Garland Heptathlon 2nd (+6,200 pts.)
Kayla Smith W. Pole Vault 2nd (*14-5.50)
Anna Hall W. High Jump 3rd (6-1.50)
Matthew Boling M. Long Jump 7th (25-5.25)
Jasmine Moore W. Long Jump 8th (21-0)
Day 3 Scorers
Matthew Boling M. 200m 1st ($!20.19)
Jasmine Moore W. Triple Jump 4th (45-0.50)
Matthew Boling, Caleb Cavanaugh, Delano Dunkley, Elija Godwin
M. 4x400m 4th (3:04.84)
Jessica Drop W. 3000m 6th (9:05.98)
$school record; *personal best; =No. 2 all-time collegiate score; +No. 4 all-time collegiate score; !No. 5 all-time collegiate performer/No. 6 all-time collegiate performance
###
