[su_spacer size=”20″] The 11th-ranked Georgia men’s track and field team posted seven top collegiate finishes to open the Spec Towns National Team Invitational on Friday afternoon in Athens, Ga.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Battling a steady rain, sophomore Alex Poursanidis opened with a hammer throw of 220 feet, 3 inches to top sophomore teammate Alex Larsson (214-7) for the win and highlight the first day of action.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The second day of the Spec Towns Invitational will feature the eighth-ranked Lady Bulldogs and their competition from Georgia Tech and Wake Forest and seven men’s field events. Saturday’s action will begin with the hammer throw at 11 a.m. The first event on the track is the 4×100 relay at 1:30 p.m.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “This was a pretty good day for us that started with two really good performances in the hammer,” said Bulldog head coach Wayne Norton. “This meet is about keeping our consistency going and building for the next meet. We didn’t have any setbacks and I thought a lot of people did a nice job competing for us. Before we get to the bigger meets later in the season, we have to be sure we know how to compete and we did that today.”
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[su_spacer size=”20″] Following the hammer, the other seven field events were rescheduled until Saturday because of the inclement weather.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs ran their first 4×100-meter relay of the year and bested Georgia Tech by more than a second. Raytez Jenkins, Reggie Glover, Ayrian Evans and Jon Okoye combined to run a 40.26 and top the Yellow Jackets’ 41.75.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Evans ran his second event of the day and completed the 100 in a personal-best time of 10.48 to win. In the 400 hurdles, senior Drew Branch ran the second-fastest time of his season to win after completing his lap in 51.19.
[su_spacer size=”40″] In the 200, Jenkins ran his first race at the distance and edged Okoye for the win with a 21.19. Okoye was second across the line with a career-best time of 21.27.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Glover returned to be the top collegiate finisher (second overall) in the 400 after clocking a 48.13. Junior 800 runner Kisean Smith finished the race in fourth overall after running a 48.57.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The middle-distance quartet of Charles Grethen, Christian Harrison, Smith and Bryan Kamau managed to edge another Georgia squad for the victory in the 4×400 relay. UGA’s winning squad ran a 3:19.47 to finish ahead of the second team’s time of 3:22.16.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Also of note, Kamau made his collegiate debut in the outdoor 800 and was second with a 1:51.48.
[su_spacer size=”40″] On Wednesday and Thursday, senior Quintunya Chapman and junior Garrett Scantling had record-breaking performances to sweep the Bulldog Decathlon/Heptathlon.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Chapman, a native of Hinesville, Ga., passed the 11-year-old school heptathlon record of 6,033 set by 2008 Olympic silver medalist Hyleas Fountain with 6,146 points, which stands No. 2 on the current world list and leads the NCAA. Chapman’s score makes her the No. 8 all-time collegiate performer and is the No. 11 all-time collegiate performance.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Scantling, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., bested teammate Maicel Uibo’s school record 8,223 points scored to win the 2013 Bulldog Decathlon with 8,232 and took over the world’s top score in 2015. Scantling’s mark, which toppled the current NCAA leader by 700 points, makes him the No. 9 all-time collegiate performer with the No. 12 all-time collegiate performance.
[su_spacer size=”40″] A select group of Bulldogs travel to Walnut, Calif., for the Mt. SAC Relays on April 16-18. Georgia’s final of three home meets in Athens arrive May 9 with the Georgia Invitational.