ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia track and field senior Keturah Orji and head coach Petros Kyprianou have earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) national indoor awards, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

Orji was named the National Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and Kyprianou was honored as the National Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year following the Lady Bulldogs’ historic run to the 2018 NCAA indoor team title.

Orji has now earned the National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year three times after garnering the 2017 indoor honor and the 2016 outdoor honor. This is the fifth straight time a Lady Bulldogs has been named the National Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after Kendell Williams brought the accolade home to Athens from 2014-16.

In his third year as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Kyprianou was also named the 2017 National Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year as well as the 2014 and 2015 National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year during his days as a Georgia assistant.
 
 

 
 
Orji, a native of Mount Olive, N.J., won her third consecutive NCAA indoor triple jump title and her sixth national championship in the event overall over the weekend. She also finished as the runner-up to teammate Kate Hall in the long jump just days after Orji took fifth in the triple at the IAAF World Championships in Birmingham, U.K. Orji’s winning mark of 46 feet, 10 inches at NCAAs was the eighth-best jump in collegiate history, giving her the top eight spots on the list. In addition, Orji captured her seventh Southeastern Conference triple jump title during the indoor season.

Kyprianou, who is in his 10th year with the program, led the Georgia women to their first national championship in school history after scoring a school record 61 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships. This complements four other top-three indoor finishes for the women’s program since 2014, including the Lady Bulldogs’ second-place showing in 2017. Kyprianou coached Orji and Hall to NCAA individual titles, Orji to an American record in the triple and true freshman Tara Davis to a World Junior record in the 60-meter hurdles in 2018. In addition, his women’s team set eight school records during the indoor season.

Georgia kicks off its outdoor campaign this weekend in Atlanta at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 16-17.