The University of Georgia track and field teams will be competing in the 2017 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Columbia, SC from Thursday through Saturday.
A combined 13 top-10 teams, according to the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, will collide at South Carolina’s Sheila and Morris Cregger Track, including the top-ranked Texas A&M men and women. The Georgia men are currently ranked fourth while the Lady Bulldogs are ranked seventh.
When Does The Meet Crank Up?:
Junior Karl Saluri will start the meet for the Bulldogs in the decathlon on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. and is scheduled to complete the first five of 10 events during the meet’s first day. Freshman Louisa Grauvogel will begin the first event of the heptathlon minutes after the decathlon start at 10:30 a.m. and she has the first four of seven events on Thursday. The final five events of the decathlon and the last three of the heptathlon are scheduled for Friday.
Senior siblings Devon Williams and Kendell Williams, who won the 2017 indoor combined events in the heptathlon and pentathlon, respectively, will compete in individual events as they train for the NCAA Championships.
The first open event of the meet will be the men’s hammer throw on Thursday at 1 p.m. and will include senior Alex Poursanidis, junior Alex Larsson and sophomore Denzel Comenentia.
CLICK HERE for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships start lists.
CLICK HERE for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships meet notes.
(edit by Bob Miller)
What Bulldogs Are Competing?:
For the Lady Bulldogs, seniors Georgia Stefanidi, Kendell Williams, Asianna Covington, juniors Keturah Orji, Mady Fagan, Hailey Branch, Morgan Ainslie, Devon Artis, Katie Stone, Anna Machovec, Tatiana Gusin, sophomores Mary Terry, Hayden Merrick, Aliyah Johnson and freshmen Kate Hall, Grauvogel, Tairyn Montgomery, Sam Drop, Amber Tanner, Catherine Reid, Micaiah Ransby, Jessica Drop, Yanely Gomez, Kayla Smith, Chelsea Zoller and Beatrice Llano traveled for SECs.
On the men’s side, seniors Poursanidis, Sid Vaughn, Maurice Freeman, Ayrian Evans, Reggie Glover, Devon Williams, juniors Cejhae Greene, Bryan Kamau, Jon Moses, Larsson, Gabe Blackman, Saluri, sophomores Kendal Williams, Keenon Laine, Comenentia, Jeramey Hampton, Eric Westog, Joe Kimura Smith and freshmen Darius Carbin, Jonathan Pelham, Tyler Jones, Stephen Martinez and Mecole HardmanClick here to hear it will line up for Georgia.
Where To Catch The Meet:
The SEC Championships will air as part of a two-hour ESPNU show on Wednesday, May 17, from 8-10 p.m. ET. The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones (play-by-play), Larry Rawson and Jill Montgomery (analysts) and John Anderson (sideline reporter).
SEC Network+ info:
Friday, May 12 (6:25 p.m. ET); LINK: http://es.pn/2pE8amy
Saturday, May 13 (3:10 p.m.); LINK: CLICK HEREhttp://es.pn/2oWXPBk
Live Results: To check on Georgia at the SEC Championships, please visit the live results link at: http://gado.gs/7gy
Kyprianou’s Comments:
“We have now arrived at the exciting part of the year,” said Petros Kyprianou, who is completing his second year as head coach. “Everything matters from this point on. It’s been a long, grueling season but when this portion of the season arrives, those little aches and pains disappear and we give everything we can to reach our goals.”
Award-Winning Bulldogs:
Georgia completed its final regular season meet last weekend with the inaugural Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens and weekly accolades came in by the droves. Orji was named the USTFCCCA National Women’s Athlete of the Week as well as the SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week.
In addition, Devon Williams (Men’s Runner of the Week), Kendell Williams (Women’s Runner of the Week) and Hall (Women’s Freshman of the Week) garnered weekly league honors. This marked the second time in 2017 that the Williams siblings won SEC awards on the same week.
Last Year At SECs:
The Bulldog men feature a re-worked squad with a number of newcomers in 2017. Georgia scored 58 points for seventh place in 2016 as graduated senior Ashinia Miller (shot put) was the only SEC champion. The Lady Bulldogs return many of their weapons from the last couple of seasons, including Olympians Kendell Williams and Orji, and aim at improving on their eighth-place finish (59 points) last year. Orji (triple jump) and Fagan (high jump) captured 2016 SEC crowns.
What’s Up Next After SECs?:
Following the SEC Championships, Georgia will make the trip to Lexington, Ky., on May 25-27 for the NCAA East Prelims. In addition to the combined event team members who will already be qualified for the NCAA Championships, those qualified individuals and relays will then make the usual journey to Eugene, Ore., for the national meet on June 7-10.