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SB Interviews/Highlights: Georgia falls in Los Angeles Super Regional, game two tonight

The No. 11 national seed Georgia softball team fell in six innings to sixth-seeded UCLA Thursday night in game one of the NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional at Easton Stadium, 8-0.

Fast Facts

• This was the second time Georgia has been shut out this season and the second time the Bulldogs have lost via run rule.

• Four different hitters combined for Georgia’s four hits: Dallis Goodnight, Jayda Kearney, Sydney Kuma, and Emily Digby.

• Goodnight extended her on-base streak to eight.

Key Quotes

Head Coach Tony Baldwin

Opening statement

“Congratulations to UCLA. They played a complete game tonight. I thought they had good at-bats. Kaitlyn [Terry] threw really well, and they made some good plays on defense. They played a complete game, and that’s what it takes to win at this time of the year. We’ll shoot to be better tomorrow. At the end of the day, it’s the first one to two, and they’re up 1-0, and we’ve got to fight like heck to even the score tomorrow.”

On adjustments Georgia needs to make in Game 2…

“I think we just need to execute better. There wasn’t anything that happened today that we weren’t prepared for or capable of executing. There were some plays we had the opportunity to make on defense, and we didn’t make them. I thought [Kaitlyn Terry] came right at us as we expected, and I feel like we missed a lot of good pitches to hit. Certainly, she deserved credit for that with the stuff that she has. We’ll have to settle in and play Georgia Softball. ‘Scrap, fight, find a way’ is what we do, and we’ll have to do that a little bit better tomorrow.”

Up Next

Georgia and UCLA will square off on Friday in game two of the Los Angeles Super Regional. First pitch is set for 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Postgame Interviews

Video Highlights

WTEN: Three Dawgs advance to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship semifinals

Three Bulldogs punched their ticket to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship semifinals, as Anastasiia Lopata advanced to the final four in singles play while Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova won their doubles quarterfinal match at the Greenwood Tennis Center on Thursday.

Fast Facts

• Anastasiia Lopata won her sixth-consecutive match in Stillwater, extending her singles run to the NCAA semifinals after an upset 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 9-16 Celia-Belle Mohr (Vanderbilt).

• The duo of Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova continue their hot streak at the NCAAs, adding their 29th win of the season after knocking off No. 5-8 Metka Komac/Avelina Sayfetdinova (TexasTech), 3-6, 6-4, 1(11)-0(9), winning their fifth-straight finished match while taking nine of their last 10 in doubles.

• Dasha Vidmanova’s run in the NCAA Singles Championships comes to an end, as she fell in the quarterfinal to No. 2 Amelia Rajecki (NC State), 6-3, 7-5. Vidmanova finished her season 26-9 in singles play, marking her second-highest season tally for wins (33, 2023).

• Anastasiia Lopata becomes the 11th Bulldog to appear in an NCAA Singles semifinal and the first since Katarina Jokic in 2019.

• Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova become the ninth doubles duo in program history to appear in an NCAA semifinal and the first since Lauren Herring and Maho Kowase in 2014.

Up Next

The Bulldogs will resume competition at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships semifinals on Friday, May 24. In singles, Lopata will face No. 2 Amelia Rajecki (NC State) at 12:30 p.m. ET while in doubles, Mert and Vidmanova will compete against Celia-Belle Mohr/Anessa Lee (Vanderbilt) with match time TBD.

T/F: Nine Dawgs advance at the NCAA East Prelims

Three Lady Bulldog throwers placed in the top 12 in their respective events to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships while six sprinters and hurdlers advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal races on the second day of the NCAA East Prelims Thursday in Lexington, Ky.

For results throughout the weekend from the NCAA East Prelims, please visit: https://gado.gs/bx7

Fast Facts

·                     Stephanie Ratcliffe opened the day with a third-place effort in the hammer throw, recording a top mark of 65.69 meters/215 feet, 6 inches on her second attempt. The graduate student will look to defend her 2023 hammer title when she heads to Eugene, Ore., to compete in two weeks.

·                     Kelsie Murrell-Ross sent her second throw in the shot put 17.11m/56-1.75 to place sixth and qualify for Nationals. The junior will compete in her first NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after winning back-to-back NJCAA outdoor national titles at Barton Community College.

·                     Erin McMeniman will return to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third-straight year after launching the javelin 50.60m/166-0 for 10th place in Lexington. McMeniman recorded the mark on her opening attempt to secure her spot at Nationals.

·                     Kaila Jackson took first place in the 100-meter and 200-meter first-round races to qualify for Saturday’s quarterfinals. The sophomore matched her own school record and personal best with a time of 10.95 in the 100m, leaving the facility record 0.15 seconds behind. Jackson’s 200m time of 22.28 placed her third on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list with a new personal best.

·                     Three Lady Bulldogs earned their spots in the 400m quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. Kimberly Harris placed second overall with a heat-winning time of 51.43 while Aaliyah Butler took fifth, clocking a 51.68 to also win her first-round heat. Haley Tate crossed the finish line in 53.04 to place 21st and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal event.

·                     Dominique Mustin and Zoe Pollock both qualified for the 400m hurdles quarterfinals, posting top-10 finishes in the first round. Mustin crossed the finish line first in her heat with a time of 56.44 for third place. Pollock ran a personal-best 56.78 to secure eighth place while improving her No. 3 time in program history.

Up Next

The Bulldog men will return to the track on Friday as Georgia looks to send nine more qualifiers to Eugene. Action will kick off with Riyon Rankin competing in the high jump at 2 p.m. while running events will begin at 5 p.m. with the 4x100m relay. The women will wrap up the NCAA East Prelims on Saturday on the same schedule.

WGOLF: Dalton Stevens named associate head coach

 Dalton Stevens, who helped South Florida to consecutive NCAA Regional bids over the past two seasons for the first time since 2002, has been named associate head coach for the University of Georgia women’s golf program. Head coach Erika Brennan, who has worked with Stevens for the past six seasons at USF, announced his hiring on Thursday.

“Coach DS is a tremendous person who prioritizes the welfare of student-athletes and ensures they achieve at their greatest potential,” Brennan said. “He is a tenacious recruiter and a proven developer. I’m thrilled he and Christina have chosen to join the Georgia family. After almost seven years I can say with great enthusiasm and great certainty, there is nobody else on earth I’d rather coach alongside of than Coach Stevens. Georgia Women’s Golf just got better today!” 

Stevens joined the USF staff in June 2018 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2023-24 season. All told, he has 10 seasons of collegiate coaching experience.

“I feel incredibly honored and thankful to be a part of the University of Georgia as the Associate Head Coach for the women’s golf program,” Stevens said. “Coaching in the SEC has been a long-standing aspiration of mine, and I’m thrilled about the journey ahead for our program. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Coach Erika Brennan and Mr. Josh Brooks for entrusting me with this amazing opportunity. My wife Christina and I are eager to immerse ourselves in the Athens community. Go Dawgs!”

Brennan and Stevens teamed together as South Florida rewrote almost all of its team and individual records over the past several years, culminating with one of its most successful campaigns ever during 2023-24. The Bulls shattered numerous team and individual records en route to winning three tournaments and finishing third or better in seven of 11 events last season. Most notably, Melanie Green’s school-record season scoring average of 69.73 led to a new USF team average mark of 287.30. Green also produced the lowest 18- and 54-hole scores ever by a Bull – 8-under 64 (twice) and 11-under 205 (twice). Team wise, USF posted its best round ever – a 17-under 271 – on the way to the best tournament mark – a 28-under 836 – to win the Westbrook Invitational.

Green became one of the most decorated golfers in school history. She was named 2024 American Athletic Conference Golfer of the Year and is set to become the Bulls’ first two-time All-American since 1993. Green also has been named to the U.S. team for the Arnold Palmer Cup later this summer.

USF won 11 titles – six team and seven individual – over the past six seasons. During Stevens’ first year with the Bulls, they climbed 111 spots in the national rankings from No. 154 to No. 80. That ascension continued as the Bulls rose to No. 32 last season. 

The team also excelled academically, finishing the 2021-22 season with the ninth-best grade point average in the country and producing 11 WGCA All-American Scholars between 2019-23.

Stevens arrived at USF with four seasons of collegiate coaching experience. Immediately before joining Brennan’s staff in Tampa, he spent two seasons as head coach of both the men’s and women’s golf teams at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Stevens was named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for men’s and women’s golf in 2018.

On the men’s side, Stevens led Bethany to a runner-up finish at the KCAC Championships in 2017 before the Swedes won the conference title by 12 shots in his season. The Bethany women showed dramatic improvement under Stevens, improving to fourth to second at the KCAC Championships during his two seasons and moving up 55 spots in the Golfstat national rankings in the process.

Stevens began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Iowa Central Community College in 2014-15 before returning to his alma mater, Kirkwood Community College, the following campaign. He helped Kirkwood’s Eagles finish as runner-up at the 2016 NJCAA Division II Championships while producing a trio of All-Americans.

Stevens played two seasons at Kirkwood from 2010-12. He earned PING All-Central Region honors, was medalist at the 2011 Region XI Championship, qualified for the NJCAA Championships both years and helped the Eagles finish ninth at the 2012 national championships. Stevens then played at Saint Xavier University in Chicago as a junior and at Mount Mercy University in his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a senior. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Kirkwood in 2012 and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Management) from Mount Mercy in 2014.

Athletic Board Spring Meeting Report

 A glowing academic report, updates on facility projects and presentations from University of Georgia president Jere W. Morehead as well as J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks highlighted the first day of the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors spring meetings on Thursday.

Also in attendance were Georgia basketball coaches Mike White and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who both participated in a panel discussion.

Below are a few highlights from Thursday’s meeting.

Report from J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks

– Brooks began his report by paying tribute to longtime supporter and former football player Don Leebern, Jr. and longtime athletics staff member Mark Delafchell, who both passed away recently.

– It was a record-breaking semester for Georgia student-athletes. The Bulldogs compiled a 3.24 cumulative GPA for the spring, which is the highest of any semester in school history.

– UGA swimmer Abby McCulloh earned SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors and equestrian rider Caitlin Lyons was a 2024 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award Winner.

– Georgia is ranked No. 4 overall in the SEC in the Learfield Directors’ Cup over the past five years (including new members Oklahoma and Texas).

– Football coach Kirby Smart has compiled the most wins by a head coach in his first eight seasons in college football history.

– Georgia track and field star Christopher Morales Williams set the world record in the 400M indoor and had a nation-leading time in the 400M outdoor. 

– Brooks has made several head coaching hires over the last few months. Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts now lead UGA gymnastics and Erika Brennan heads the women’s golf program.

– Women’s Tennis won the SEC championship and finished national runner-up in Drake Bernstein’s first season.

– Behind Charlie Condon’s record-setting season, baseball is gearing up for a NCAA regional, while softball is at UCLA in a NCAA super regional.

– Wes Johnson has earned the most wins by a first-year head baseball coach in Georgia history.

– The Georgia Bulldog Club has raised a record $113 million in fiscal year 2024. That beats the previous record of $102 million in 2023. The Capital Campaign, which ends June 30, 2027, has raised $176 million toward the $300 million goal.

– Brooks introduced Matt Brachowski and Tanner Stines to give a few facility updates.

Facility Updates from Sr. Associate AD Matt Brachowski and Associate AD Tanner Stines

– The Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis facility is complete, and both teams made good use of it this spring.

– The Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Circle of Champions is now complete.

– Foley Field expansion construction begins this June with an estimated completion date of Winter 2025.

– Construction is on-going at the Jack Turner Softball Stadium, with an estimated completion of Fall 2024.

– Phase 2 of the Sanford Stadium South Side Improvements, which includes a new press box, is estimated to be completed by August.

-There will be updates to the Sanford Stadium refrigerators. Of the projected $1.95 million budget, $1 million will be funded by concessionaire grant and $950,000 from operating reserves.

-The estimated start for construction on the new track and field facility is August 2024 with an estimated completion date of January 2026.

-The estimated start date on the new videoboard at Stegeman Coliseum is March 2025, with an estimated completion of Fall 2025.

Report from Faculty Athletics Representative Professor David Shipley

– Georgia student-athletes boasted a 3.24 cumulative GPA this spring, marking the highest semester on record (not including the COVID 2020 spring semester). The previous high was a 3.22 GPA in the fall of 2022.

– 71 percent of UGA student-athlete earned a 3.0 or above this semester, which is also a school record.

– Women’s swimming and diving had the highest team GPA this semester with a 3.64, edging out volleyball, which had a 3.635.

– Men’s tennis led all men’s teams with a 3.60 semester GPA.

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