[su_spacer size=”40″] Freshman standout Keturah Orji, the 2015 SEC Outdoor Champion and American junior record holder in the triple jump, finished first in her signature event with a mark of 43-10.75. Orji owns a school-record mark of 46-4.25, which came just a few weeks ago at the SEC Championships.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Also qualifying on the day were Tatiana Gusin, Leontia Kallenou and Chanice Porter in the high jump and Nick Vena in the shot put. The men’s 4×400 meter relay team of Ayrian Evans, Drew Branch, Jamario Calhoun and Raytez Jenkins also qualified for Nationals with a season-best mark of 3:05.12.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The 4x400m relay squad won their heat and finished seventh overall, in addition to moving into eighth all time in the school record books. The squad of Branch, Calhoun, Jenkins and Reggie Glover turned in a time of 3:05.73 earlier this season, which currently ranks tied for 10th in school history.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The top 12 finishers in each event from both the East and West (Austin, Texas) regions advance to the finals of the NCAA Championships. Multi event athletes Garrett Scantling and Maicel Uibo (decathlon) and Quintyuna Chapman and Kendell Williams (heptathlon) have already qualified for Nationals.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “We almost had a superb day with everyone who qualified,” said Georgia head coach Wayne Norton. “It remains to be seen what the effect will be at the Championships, as we suffered two more failures this time in the shot put and hammer throw. Overall, we did a lot of good things so we will regroup and work towards contending for a national championship with the ammo that we have left. We have a great team that still has a chance to do something special in two weeks.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Both Orji and Porter will be representing the Bulldogs in two events in Eugene, Ore., site of this year’s NCAA Championships, as the duo qualified yesterday in the long jump.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Porter cleared a height of 5-11.5 in the high jump on Saturday, along with Gusin and defending national champion Kallenou, to advance to the NCAA finals.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Vena finished 10th in the shot put on the day to qualify for Nationals, throwing a distance of 62-1 to advance. Fellow thrower, junior Ashinia Miller, just missed qualifying for Eugene, as he finished 13th with a mark of 61-2.75.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Sophomore Asiana Covington finished 15th in the hammer throw with a mark of 185-4 for the Bulldogs, while Calhoun competed earlier in the day in the quarterfinals of the 200 meters, finishing 20th overall in 21.14. In the distance events, junior Zack Sims was the lone competitor for Georgia in the 5,000 meters, placing 38th overall in 14:53.74.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs will now prepare for the NCAA Championships June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore. Representing Georgia on the men’s side will be Scantling and Uibo (decathlon), Brandon Lord (10,000m), Alex Larsson and Alex Poursanidis (hammer throw), Charles Grethen (800m) and Drew Branch (400m hurdles).
[su_spacer size=”40″] On the women’s side, Georgia will be led by Chapman and Williams (heptathlon), Gusin and Kallenou (high jump), Orji (long jump and triple jump), Porter (long jump and high jump), and Freya Jones and Jenna Wargo (javelin).
[su_spacer size=”40″] Updates from all Bulldog meets will be posted at georgiadogs.com and on Twitter/Instagram at @UGA_XCTF.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Bulldog Qualifiers For NCAA Championships
[su_spacer size=”10″] Keturah Orji – Triple Jump (43-10.75 / 1st)
Chanice Porter – High Jump (5-11.5 / 3rd)
Leontia Kallenou – High Jump (5-11.5 / T-4th)
Tatiana Gusin – High Jump (5-11.5 / 7th)
A. Evans, D. Branch, J. Calhoun, R. Jenkins – 4x400m Relay (3:05.12 / 7th)
Nick Vena – Shot Put (62-1 / 10th)