Georgia junior Keturah Orji has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year as the second-ranked Lady Bulldogs and the fifth-ranked Georgia men prepare for this week’s NCAA Indoor Championships.

 
 
Orji, a native of Mount Olive, N.J., who was voted the 2016 National Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, has now been honored as the South Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year for two straight seasons after also garnering the award following the 2016 outdoor season.
 
 
Orji scored a team-high 16 points at the SEC Championships after winning her third consecutive conference indoor triple jump title (fifth SEC triple jump title overall) in record-breaking fashion. She also finished third in a long jump competition that finished with three 22-foot performers for the first time in collegiate track and field history.
 
 
Orji posted matching American, collegiate, meet, school and facility record marks (46 feet, 11 3/4 inches) to cruise to a victory in the triple with a series that featured five jumps of 46-3.50 or more. She now owns five of the top 10 collegiate marks in history, including the top three all set at this year’s SEC meet. Orji also set a school record of 21-11.75 on her third long jump before traveling 22-0.75 on her fifth try to lock down third in the long jump. She heads into the NCAA Championships ranked third on the country’s long jump list.
 
 
Senior Devon Williams and junior Karl Saluri, who are two of seven men qualified for Nationals, will start the NCAA Championships for Georgia in the heptathlon at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, March 10. Senior Kendell Williams and freshman Louisa Grauvogel, who are two of the seven Lady Bulldogs to advanced to NCAAs, will begin their pentathlon at 1:15 p.m. that same day.