T&F: Alencar Pereira and Ana da Silva Win Gold, Set School Record At Junior Pan American Games
Photo: Walt Beazley
Bulldog track and field senior Alencar Pereira won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games U-23 in Colombia this week.
In addition, junior Ana da Silva launched her top mark in the shot put 16.86 meters/55 feet, 3 ¾ inches to earn a silver medal and take over the school record in the event.
Da Silva used her first meet as a Bulldog to overtake the No. 1 spot in the school record books. Her toss of 55-3.75 passed the former record of 55-2.25 set by Rhonda Hackett at the 2000 Alabama Relays.
Also at the Pan Am meet, Pereira sent his top hammer throw 69.78m/228-11. This toss narrowly missed his result at a recent meet in Ecuador, which was No. 8 on the school’s all-time top-10 list. Pereira, a native of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil also captured gold at the South American U-23 Championships in Ecuador.
Pereira spent this first full year with the Bulldogs in 2020-21, scoring at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in the hammer and advancing to the NCAA Championships in the event. Pereira, who set Brazilian national records in the hammer and was the 2019 NJCAA national champion, also scored in the weight throw indoors for Georgia during his first season in red and black. He began his U.S. collegiate career at Barton Community College (Kan.) in 2019 before transferring to the University of Nebraska for a year.
Da Silva, a native of Ribeirao das Neves, Brazil, was a two-time NJCAA national champion in the shot at Barton Community College.
The Bulldogs begin their 2022 indoor season at the Clemson Invitational on Jan. 14-15. The outdoor campaign is set to start on March 18-19 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.
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