Kendell Williams and Keturah Orji On Bowerman Trophy Watch List

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Kendell Williams and Keturah Orji On Bowerman Trophy Watch List

Georgia track and field
Kendell Williams
(Photo by John Kelley)
[break] The Georgia women’s track and field team has a pair of competitors on the 10-woman February Watch List for The Bowerman Trophy, which is the sport’s version of the Heisman Trophy.

[break] [break] Kendell Williams and Keturah Orji (OR-gee) join three other Southeastern Conference competitors on this month’s list for collegiate track and field’s highest individual honor.  Williams was also on the preseason Watch List released in January and was only the second true freshman in history last year to be named a semifinalist for the award that is in its seventh year.
[break] [break] Georgia and Oregon are the only two schools with two student-athletes represented on the women’s list.  Orji is the sole freshman on the Watch List and Williams is the only true sophomore and one of only two who are in their second year competing.
[break] [break] Williams, a native of Marietta, Ga., crept dangerously close to topping her own collegiate record in the pentathlon after scoring 4,609 points to win at the McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky., on January 23.  She moved to No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list (No. 1 non-altitude collegiate score) behind her 4,635 set last year and locked down her second mark on the all-time U.S. top-10 list.
[break] [break] Williams leads the national rankings in the pentathlon by nearly 200 points and is also ranked in the top 10 nationally with a mark of 21 feet, 2 ½ inches in the long jump (T2nd), a clearance of 6-0.75 in the high jump (T4th) and an 8.23 in the 60-meter hurdles (T8th).
[break] [break] Orji, a native of Mount Olive, N.J., erupted to the top of the national triple jump list after reaching 45-10.50 to win the McCravy meet.  This effort highlighted a sensational series for Orji at the meet, which featured four jumps of 45 feet or more.  She passed the eight-year-old school record and the 10-year-old American Junior record and took over the No. 9 spot on the all-time collegiate performers list.  Orji now owns four of the five best all-time U.S. Junior triple jump marks in history.
[break] [break] The two-time SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week is also the country’s top-ranked freshman and ranked seventh overall in the long jump after opening the year with a mark of 21-2.50 at the Auburn Invitational.  She is also seventh on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list with her jump, which was part of a series featuring two more jumps of 20-10 or better.
[break] [break] Williams and Orji are scheduled to compete at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet in Blacksburg, Va., this weekend.  Williams will battle in the 60 hurdles at 5:35 p.m. on Friday and long jump on Saturday at 12 p.m.  Orji will long jump for the second time as a Lady Bulldog also on Saturday.

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