WBB: Mikayla Coombs Nominated For NCAA Woman of the Year
Mikayla Coombs, a former member of the Georgia women’s basketball team, has been named a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year, it was announced Thursday.
“I am honored and humbled to be nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award,” Coombs said. “The University of Georgia and The Georgia Way prepare student-athletes for success both on and off the field of competition. To be nominated by this institution means the world to me. I recognize and respect the tremendous impact the NCAA Woman of the Year program has on so many, and I look forward to being a small part of this. Thank you to the University of Georgia and the NCAA Woman of the Year program for the tremendous honor.”
The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes. Eligible student-athletes are nominated by their school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations and submits its conference nominee (s).
Coombs had an impactful career during her time in Athens. She was named the 2022 Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a member of the league’s Community Service Team. Peers from 14 league institutions voted her the vice chair of the SEC Leadership Council in 2021.
The Buford, Georgia, native was also appointed as the lone student-athlete on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Competition Committee, where she served as a leading voice on various topics surrounding women’s basketball.
The Double Dawg earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in sport management from the University of Georgia. She was named a UGA Presidential Scholar in 2020, placed on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll four times and made the Dean’s List in 2021 and 2022. Recently, she was named a Development Officer in the office of UGA Alumni Relations.
Coombs played for the Lady Bulldogs from 2020-22, starting 30 of the team’s 31 games last season. She averaged 6.3 points per game, scoring in double figures 11 times. Perhaps the highlight of her career came in the 2021 SEC Tournament semifinals against No. 2-ranked Texas A&M. She bounced back from a sprained ankle at halftime to score 14 points in the final two quarters to secure the win.
T&F: Sixteen Dawgs to compete in this week’s World Athletics Championships
Sixteen current or former Georgia track and field team members are slated to compete in this week’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.
The meet cranks up at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field on Friday, July 15, and will run through Sunday, July 24. The Bulldog contingent represents Team USA, Antigua, Bahamas, Brazil, Estonia, Greece, Jamaica, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
The returning Bulldogs competing include Brazil’s Ana da Silva (women’s shot put), Estonia’s Johannes Erm (decathlon), USA’s Kyle Garland (decathlon), and USA’s Elija Godwin (400-meter dash/relays). In addition, USA’s Darius Carbin (high jump) just completed his Georgia career in 2022 and Estonia’s Janek Oiglane (decathlon) is a returning volunteer coach.
The former cast of UGA standouts includes the Netherlands’ Denzel Comenentia (hammer throw), Antigua’s Cejhae Greene (100m/relays), Luxembourg’s Charles Grethen (1500m), Greece’s Tatiana Gusin (high jump), USA’s Lynna Irby (400m/relays), the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo (200m/400m/ relays), USA’s Keturah Orji (triple jump), Jamaica’s Chanice Porter (long jump), Estonia’s Maicel Uibo (decathlon) and USA’s Kendell Williams (heptathlon).
The World Championships will be broadcast (NBC/CNBC) and streamed (NBC Sports/Peacock) at a mixture of times over the 10 days of action.
A two-time NCAA champion, former Bulldog Denzel Comenentia will start the action at 12:05 p.m. ET on July 15. An hour after the hammer begins, this year’s NCAA outdoor runner-up in the high jump, Darius Carbin, will compete at 1:10 p.m. on opening day. Greene, who remains No. 5 on Georgia’s all-time list in the 100m (10.05), races in the 100m opening round at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
During the afternoon session on day one, indoor/outdoor school record holder Ana da Silva competes in the shot put qualification round at 5:05 p.m.
The returning Bulldogs compete later in the week’s schedule. Erm and Garland start their first of two days in the decathlon on July 23 alongside Uibo and Oiglane. Godwin begins his competition in the opening rounds of the 400m on July 17. Relay fields will be announced closer to the events.
Also of note, rising sophomore Eddiyah Frye will compete in the 100m hurdles at the World Under-20 Championships in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, during the August 1-6 meet.
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