[su_spacer size=”20″] The second-ranked Georgia women’s track and field team has two competitors on the 10-woman Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List for The Bowerman Trophy, which is the sport’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Sophomore Kendell Williams and true freshman Keturah Orji (OR-gee) join four 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 on the February Watch List.  She was also only the second true freshman in history last year to be named a semifinalist for the award that is in its seventh year.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia is the only school with two student-athletes represented on the women’s list.  Orji, who was also on the February Watch List, is the sole freshman on the Watch List and Williams is the only sophomore.  The winner is chosen following the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
[su_spacer size=”40″] 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.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Williams won her first SEC indoor title after scoring 4,519 points to win the pentathlon in Lexington on February 27.  She leads the national rankings in the pentathlon by nearly 200 point, is ranked third nationally with a mark of 21 feet, 5 ½ inches in the long jump and is tied for eighth in the high jump rankings with a clearance of 6-0.75 in the high jump.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Williams competes in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 14 starting at 12:30 p.m. ET.
[su_spacer size=”40″] 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 nine of the 10 best all-time U.S. Junior indoor triple jump marks in history.
[su_spacer size=”40″] At the SEC Championships, Orji surged back on her fifth of sixth triple jumps to capture the conference title.  This marks the first triple jump crown for the Lady Bulldogs since Colleen Felix won back-to-back titles in 2011-12.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The four-time SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week is also the country’s top-ranked freshman (sixth overall) in the long jump with an effort of 21-2 at the VT Elite Meet.  Orji finished third in the long jump at the SEC Championships and finished fifth on the women’s top scorers list at the meet with 16 points.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Orji competes in the long jump at the NCAA Championships at 7 p.m. on March 13 before battling versus the field in the triple jump at 7 p.m. on March 14.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Live and full results and a recap from the coming NCAA Indoor Championships and all Georgia meets will be located at georgiadogs.com.  Updates from this meet and throughout the season will be posted on Twitter at @UGA_XCTF.