![Alex Poursanidis - Senior, Georgia track and field team (weight throw) (photo from Georgia Sports Communications)](https://photos.smugmug.com/Track/2017-Razorback-Invite/i-2gj7Mdw/0/L/UGA%20ALEX%20POURSANIDIS%20JI%20001-L.jpg)
Senior, Georgia track and field team (weight throw)
(photo from Georgia Sports Communications)
Nine members of Georgia’s track and field teams will be competing in Clemson, SC, in the Tiger Tune-up today.
From the throws group, senior Alex Poursanidis (weight throw), junior Alex Larsson (weight), junior Asianna Covington (weight), sophomore Denzel Comenentia (shot put) and sophomore Anna Machovec (shot put) are scheduled to represent the second-ranked Georgia women and sixth-ranked Bulldog men.
Sophomore Kendal Williams (60-meter dash, 200m) from the men’s sprints crew and freshmen Micaiah Ransby, Amber Tanner and Chelsea Zoller from women’s sprints will also line up in this “last chance” meet.
“This is the last chance to qualify for our traveling squad to the conference meet and an inexpensive opportunity for our teams to try and improve their national standing versus some very good people in a world-class facility,” said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou.
Poursanidis heads to the Tigers’ facility ranked sixth nationally in the weight and third in the SEC. He is aiming for his first trip to indoor Nationals after taking sixth, fourth and second at the last three conference indoor meets, respectively. Topping out at 72 feet, 6 ½ inches, Poursanidis has posted marks at all four meets this year that would surpass his previous personal record.
Larsson continues to prepare for the hammer throw outdoors as he competes in the weight. He has gone 60-0.25 in the weight this year and 63-2 in his career after redshirting the 2016 indoor and outdoor seasons while recovering from an injury.
Covington currently sits 27th on the national list in the women’s weight at 65-5.75. Situated ninth on the SEC performance list, the Vancouver native can move into position to be in the top 16 who qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships by reaching 66-9 or better. Covington’s personal best is 68-1.50 to take second at the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships.
Comenentia was a January 2016 enrollee and scored at indoor Nationals two months later in the shot put. He is situated 11th on the national list and second in the SEC with an effort of 62-3.25 to win the Razorback Invitational. Comenentia was fourth at last year’s SEC Indoor Championships before scoring in three events at the SEC outdoor meet.
Machovec, who is the third sibling in her family to be a Bulldog thrower, reached 45-1 at last week’s Music City Challenge in the shot put. She redshirted in 2015 and then did not compete indoors last year.
Williams has bettered the school record in the 60m three times this year and shot to second on the UGA all-time top-10 list in the 200m during his only race at the distance this year. Redshirting the 2016 indoor and outdoor seasons after transferring from Florida State, Williams has run a 6.65 in the 60m, which is tied for 11th nationally (tied for fourth in SEC), and has registered a time of 20.97 in the 200m, which stands 24th on the national list and 13th in the SEC.
Williams was a First Team All-American outdoors in both the 100m and 200m for the Seminoles in 2015. He currently needs a 20.80 to be in contention to qualify for NCAAs.
The Lady Bulldogs continue to develop their first-year sprinters and middle distance corps and are targeting a faster time in the relay at SECs. Ransby is slated to run the 200m and 400m, Tanner the 800m and Zoller the 400m on Friday.
This is the final action before the Bulldogs return to Nashville, Tenn., for the second time this season. Georgia will join its league counterparts for the SEC Championships on February 24-25.