As 75-degree weather wanes away and heat climbs with regular summer showers, the 2024-25 Georgia athletics year fades into the history books as well. It was no slow spring to say the least. On the courts, diamonds, course, paddock and track, the Red and Black saw great success winning four national titles. As we anxiously wait to be back Between the Hedges, we take a look back at the University of Georgia’s spring in athletics, a true “everything school.”
Track and Field
We start with the most recent: a national championship for the women’s track and field team. Led by director of track and field Caryl Smith-Gilbert, the women’s team clinched the national title in Eugene, Oregon in the late hours of Saturday June 14.
It was dominance from the jump, tallying a 73 score and besting runner-up Southern Cal by 26 points.
With tears in her eyes on stage with the national championship trophy, Smith-Gilbert’s mission to come to Georgia and win the women’s team their first ever title was completed just 28 days after winning the women’s SEC title as well.
The Georgia men finished second in the SEC Championships with an 83, the highest finish in program history since 1940.
Women’s Tennis
One of the most impressive postseason runs in collegiate sports history, the Lady Bulldogs vanquished Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Cal, No. 8 Duke, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 2 Texas A&M en route to the program’s third team national title and first since 2000. Georgia gave up just one point over the course of its entire postseason run.
Head coach Drake Bernstein and No. 1 player in the country Dasha Vidmanova claimed the elusive triple crown as Vidmanova secured the 2024 singles and doubles titles with partner Aysegul Mert. The team title in May capped off the road to three national championships.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just an outdoor title for the Bulldogs as star-studded Georgia secured the national indoor title in January as well. The Lady Dawgs took down Northwestern, No. 10 Auburn, No. 5 Virginia and No. 2 Texas A&M, giving Georgia its fifth indoor title and first since 2019.
What a year for the second-year head coach Bernstein, his No. 1 player, senior Vidmanova, and the rest of the 2024-25 Bulldogs!
Equestrian
Call it a miracle, call it luck, we call it consistency. In Georgia’s 25-year history of equestrian, the Bulldogs have captured eight national titles, six Southern Equestrian championships, seven reserve championships and three Southeastern Conference titles, all under one coach: Meghan Boenig. Talk about a resumé…
“It’s just grateful, gratitude, it’s that final breath, it’s the realization of a dream, it is a legacy continued,” said Boenig following her eighth title. “This means we have another class again, not leaving without a championship ring.”
The Bulldogs’ eight national championship banners are the most by any school in the country. Boenig has undoubtedly cemented her name as one of the best in the sport. Congratulations, Georgia equestrian!
PGA Tour
The Dawgs on Tour have made a statement in 2025 as former Bulldog golfers Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley and Sepp Straka have all won a Tour event. Straka claimed a second win at the Truist Championship in May to make it two on the year. With his win at the Truist and Henley’s win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, that’s two signature event wins for former Georgia players.
With that being said, Georgia has won 18.5% of all PGA Tour events this regular season and 33% of the signature events played thus far. What a run through the season by the Georgia boys!
Baseball
It was a whole lot more winning for the Diamond Dawgs as well. After starting 29-2 through the non-conference schedule and into the first third of the SEC slate, Georgia rattled off four more SEC series wins, including a walk-off series win over No. 1 Arkansas in April.
Georgia would go on to host a regional in Athens as the No. 7 national seed for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs’ season was cut short early after losses to Duke and Oklahoma State at Foley Field. It was only year two of the Wes Johnson Era for Georgia baseball. Get ready, Bulldog Nation, there’s going to be plenty more winning coming from Johnson and his Diamond Dawgs.
Softball
Finally, Georgia softball defied the odds and made it all the way to the super regionals where the Bulldogs fell to Florida in Gainesville. After a 7-16 showing in conference play and an early exit from the SEC Tournament, a short postseason run seemed inevitable, but the Dawgs rallied!
Georgia vanquished Duke on the Blue Devils’ home turf in the Durham Regional. The Dawgs pulled off a grueling win in game two of the super regional for a rubber match (in Gainesville), game three against the Gators. Heartbreaking, yes, but what a run for these Lady Dawgs as fourth-year head coach Tony Baldwin led Georgia to a third straight super!
Four national championships, five wins on the PGA Tour and countless victories for Georgia athletics … does that classify as the “everything school?” We sure think so! What a time to be a Bulldog!