ATHENS, Ga. — Four members of Georgia’s track and field teams have won Southeastern Conference weekly awards following their performances at the Mt. SAC Relays over the weekend.
Senior jumper Keturah Orji was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week; junior thrower Denzel Comenentia was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week; freshman sprinter Lynna Irby was named the Women’s Runner of the Week; and freshman jumper/hurdler Tara (pronounced TAR-uh) Davis was named the Women’s Freshman of the Week.
A native of Mount Olive, N.J., Orji (pronounced OR-gee, sounds like the letter ‘g’) made her season debut in the triple jump and started her series with an effort of 47 feet, ¼ inches, which stands second on the all-time collegiate list behind her NCAA record mark of 47-8 from the 2016 NCAA Championships. She followed up at Mt. SAC with a second jump of 46-10, which stands fifth on the all-time list and gives Orji the top five marks as well as the 10th-best performance in NCAA history.
Orji, who also had a mark of 46-0 in her series over the weekend, leads the NCAA by nearly a foot and a half and is ranked fourth in the world this year. She was also named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Women’s Athlete of the Week on Monday.
Comenentia, a native of Amsterdam, Netherlands, launched the second-best throw of his life to be the top collegiate finisher in the hammer throw Invitational. Comenentia opened with his best mark of 249-3 to finish second overall behind Velaasa Track Club’s Alexander Young (249-10). He also earned his second straight event win in the shot put, tossing a season-best mark of 65-8.75 to win the Invitational and move to fourth on the national list.
A native of Indianapolis, Ind., Irby surged to the No. 3 NCAA outdoor mark and No. 10 world mark in 2018 and the No. 2 spot in school history in the 400 meters, clocking 50.95 seconds to win during her career outdoor debut in the event. Irby is now second in school history only to Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the 2016 Olympic 400m gold medalist who posted the school record time of 50.70 at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
Irby also helped Georgia’s 4x100m relay team move up the school record lists to second with a time of 43.90 seconds. The team becomes the second group to break 44 seconds in school history and shot into the nation’s top 15 this year.
Davis, a native of Agoura Hills, Calif., who was competing an hour from her hometown, recorded wins in two events (4x100m, long jump) and a seventh-place finish in the 100m hurdle Invitational. She earned the first long jump win of her career by matching her No. 4 collegiate mark (21-9) from the season opener.
Davis also helped the Georgia women’s 4x100m relay team move up the school record lists with a time of 43.90 seconds. In addition, she ran a 13.17 to take seventh in the 100m hurdle Invitational, tying the second-best collegiate time of her career.
Georgia will return to action at the second annual Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens at the Spec Towns Track on Saturday, May 5.
Updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).