ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s track and field teams have qualified 27 individuals and have 33 entrants, including the men’s 4×100-meter relay team, for the NCAA East Prelims, which arrive in Tampa, Fla., on May 24-26.
The fourth-ranked Bulldog men qualified 13 individuals and a relay team and have 16 entrants in the meet, including juniors Kendal Williams (100m), Keenon Laine (high jump) and Denzel Comenentia (shot put, hammer throw) who will carry No. 1 rankings in the East into the competition.
The fifth-ranked Lady Bulldogs are preparing for their first NCAA Championships since capturing the program’s first national team title at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in March. They have 14 individuals and 17 entrants headed to the University of South Florida Stadium. Seniors Tatiana Gusin (high jump) and Keturah Orji (long jump, triple jump), freshman Lynna Irby (100m) and sophomore Jessica Drop (5000m) all have the region’s top time or mark going into the team’s second to last meet of the season.
In addition, three Bulldogs have already punched their ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9. Senior Karl Saluri and freshman Johannes Erm own the nation’s fifth and fourth-best decathlon scores while sophomore Louisa Grauvogel has scored the country’s seventh-best heptathlon total this year. The decathlon and heptathlon are the only events where competitors advance directly to the final round and bypass the Prelims.
The Lady Bulldogs have qualified the following competitors: seniors Gusin (high jump), Emily Savage (pole vault), Orji (long and triple jumps), Aliyah Johnson (triple jump), sophomores Kate Hall (long jump), Tairyn Montgomery (javelin), Micaiah Ransby (200m), Amber Tanner (800m), Jessica Drop (5000m), Samantha Drop (10,000m), Yanely Gomez (10,000m) and freshmen Tara Davis (100m hurdles, long jump), Marie-Therese Obst (javelin) and Irby (200m, 400m).
The Bulldog men will be traveling this group along with members of the relay team: seniors Williams (100m, 200m), Cejhae Greene (100m), Henry Dwyer (1500m), Bryan Kamau (5000m), Jon Moses (10,000m), Alex Larsson (hammer throw), juniors Jeramey Hampton (800m), Austin Sprague (10,000m), Michael Nicholls (110m hurdles), Laine (high jump), Comenentia (shot put, hammer throw), sophomore Darius Carbin (high jump) and freshman Antonios Merlos (high jump).
Competition starts on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. with Comenentia and Larsson in the men’s hammer. Montgomery and Obst will begin the competition on the women’s side in the javelin at 4 p.m. that same day.
Results and recaps from the NCAA East Prelims will be found at georgiadogs.com. News and updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country teams are always located on Twitter/Instagram at @UGATrack.