Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland made history at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

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Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland made history at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

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Karel Tilga
Karel Tilga (Photo: Walt Beasley)

Bulldog training partners Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland made history at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday as the Georgia duo went 1-2 in the heptathlon with record-breaking performances.

Sixth-year senior Kayla Smith led the scoring attack for the Lady Bulldogs with the team’s second silver medal in as many days.  Smith reached a personal-best height of 14 feet, 5 ½ inches in the pole vault in her first time competing at indoor Nationals. 

 

 

 

 

The sixth-ranked Bulldog men have scored 20 points and are tied with LSU for the lead after two of three days.  The fourth-ranked Georgia women have scored 23 points and are tied with LSU for second place. 

Tilga, a native of Tartu, Estonia, scored the second-highest total in collegiate history with a school record 6,264 points to give the Bulldogs their second NCAA title in the event (Devon Williams, 2017) and their fifth NCAA individual crown for the men indoors.  

Kyle Garland
Kyle Garland (Photo: South Carolina Athletics)

Garland, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., tallied the fourth-highest total in collegiate history with 6,200 points and is the third Bulldog runner-up in the event since 2014.  The Bulldogs have had at least one All-American in the heptathlon for 10 consecutive years.  Georgia has had two scoring All-Americans six of those times since 2012.

 

 

 

 

Garland and Tilga became the first teammates in NCAA history to win and earn runner-up honors in the event at the same meet.  

Also of note, the country’s seventh-ranked heptathlete in 2021, Bulldog senior and three-time heptathlete All-American Johannes Erm, remained in Athens after sustaining an injury at the Southeastern Conference Championships two weeks ago.

Where To Catch The NCAA Championships: Live streaming of the NCAA meet will air on ESPN3 through Saturday.  The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O’Brien and John Anderson.  

A tape delay special of the Championships will air on ESPNU on Sunday at 9 p.m.

Saturday(1:30pm): http://gado.gs/6hh

Saturday (6pm): http://gado.gs/6hj

Saturday’s trophy presentation (9pm): http://gado.gs/6hl

Action starts on Saturday with sophomore Matthew Boling in the 200-meter dash final at 3:50 p.m. ET.  The first Lady Bulldog competitors on the meet’s final day will be sophomore Jasmine Moore and junior Titiana Marsh in the triple jump at 6 p.m.

 

 

 

 

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