[su_spacer size=”20″] Georgia’s throwers again led the Bulldog track and field attack during the second day of the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Junior Shelby Ashe won the hammer throw with the country’s third-longest throw this year while senior Nick Vena bettered his national top-10 mark in the shot put.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “We did not have many competing today, but we had some significant results with nationally ranked performances in the shot and hammer,” said Bulldog head coach Wayne Norton. “Shelby is progressing towards being the thrower we need her to be in Eugene. And Nick showed the potential to be a national scorer in the shot put.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Opening with a throw of 178 feet, 8 inches, Ashe responded with a career-long mark of 211-8 on her second try to win the meet by four feet. Her effort is No. 4 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list and the best for the Lady Bulldogs since 2010. Ashe also shot to No. 3 on the current national performance list.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Sophomore Asianna Covington had a third throw in the hammer that measured a season-long distance of 191-8 for sixth place.
[su_spacer size=”40″] On Friday, sophomore Alex Poursanidis surged into the No. 6 spot on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list in the men’s hammer to win with the longest throw for the Bulldogs since 2003. Poursanidis launched his second attempt a national leading 229-11.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Vena came away with a fourth-place finish in the shot put after working up to a season-best effort. Vena opened with a throw of 62-10 and then came back with the sixth-longest throw in the nation this year (64-8.75).
[su_spacer size=”40″] Vena’s teammate, junior Ashinia Miller, concluded his series with a throw of 60-8.75 for seventh place.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Kisean Smith, Bryan Kamau, Christian Harrison and Charles Grethen also combined to take third in the 4×800-meter relay on the track with a time of 7:26.63.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia returns to Athens for the teams’ second home meet of the year next week. UGA hosts the Bulldog Decathlon/Heptathlon on Wednesday and Thursday and then the annual Spec Towns National Team Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Spec Towns Track.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Live and full results and recaps from the Florida Relays will be located at georgiadogs.com. Updates from this meet and throughout the season will be posted on Twitter at @UGA_XCTF.