TRACK & FIELD: Keturah Orji Named National Athlete Of The Week

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TRACK & FIELD: Keturah Orji Named National Athlete Of The Week

Keturah Orji (photo from Georgia Sports Communications)
Keturah Orji
(photo from Georgia Sports Communications)

 
 
Georgia women’s track & field junior Keturah Orji has been named the USTFCCCA National Women’s Athlete of the Week following her performance at the SEC Indoor Championships last weekend.
 
 
Orji, a native of Mount Olive, N.J., set facility, meet, school, collegiate and American records in the triple jump to win her fifth consecutive SEC title. The three-time NCAA champion also posted a school record in the long jump to finish third to lead the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 16.
 
 
Orji is the third Bulldog to earn National Athlete of the Week honors this year and the second in as many weeks. Senior high jumper Tatiana Gusin garnered the award in early January and sophomore sprinter Kendal Williams was recognized on February 21.
 
 
On her first triple jump attempt, Orji soared 46 feet, 11 ¾ inches, which set all of the aforementioned records. She then traveled an identical distance of 46-11.75 on her second try and followed that up with a fourth jump of 46-7.25 and a sixth jump of 46-10.25. At competition’s end, Orji had posted four of the top 10 collegiate marks of all-time, including the top three.
 
 
Orji started the SEC Championships with a third-place finish in the long jump thanks to another record-breaking performance. Registering no efforts worse than 21 feet, Orji took off for a fifth jump of 22-0.75 that finished her less than two inches from runner-up honors and less than four inches from the winner. This marked the first time in collegiate track and field history that three women’s long jumpers in the same meet had recorded marks of 22 feet or better.
 
 
Georgia is expected to be represented by Orji and 13 other Bulldog men and women at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 10-11.
 
 
 
 

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