Georgia junior Devon Williams opened the Virginia Tech Doc Hale Elite Meet with a victory to pace the Bulldogs in Blacksburg, Va., on Friday.
 
 
The day started with Williams setting a meet record to win the heptathlon with the second-best score of his career (5,657). This two-day output places him at No. 11 on the NCAA list and gives the Bulldogs four competitors in the top 16.
 
 
“I am proud of Devon fighting throughout his ten events and getting into the nation’s top 11,” said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou. “He put up 10,647 points in two heptathlons over the last week. He continues to show signs of growing into and developing into one of the top guys in the country.”
 
 
Williams, a native of Marietta, Ga., scored a day one 3,051 points after winning both the 60-meter dash and the long jump to start the competition on Thursday. On Friday, he tallied a victory in the 60 hurdles and posted season-best efforts in the pole vault and 1000 to win by 544 points.
 
 
The gun fired in the fifth event of the heptathlon and Williams clocked a time of 7.96 for 992 points. He was the only competitor to break 8.00 during his win.
 
 
Williams recovered from failing to reach a height in the pole vault last weekend and finished third after reaching his top mark of the year (15 feet, 1 inch). He earned 790 points with a pair of third-attempt clearances during his progression.
 
 
Williams completed his seven events by running the second-fastest 1000 of his career. He was third in the race with a season-best time of 2:44.51, which scored him 824 points.
 
 
This marked Williams’ second heptathlon in as many weeks. He competed in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Razorback meet last Friday and Saturday. With that being the case, he competed with only four rest days between the two meets.
 
 
Devon’s younger sister, Kendell Williams, also had success on Friday with a season-best time of 8.20 in the 60 hurdles, which is also the second-best time in her career. Following an 8.32 to qualify in the prelims, Williams sped to a win in one of the events that makes up the pentathlon. Williams’ 8.20 stands as the nation’s 10th-best time this year.