UGA track and field teams opened their outdoor season with five wins during the first day of the Georgia Relays in Athens, Ga., on Friday.
 
 
Day two kicks off with the women’s javelin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The first event scheduled on the track is the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at 11:45 a.m.
 
 
“I was really pleased with our first day,” said Bulldog associate head coach Don Babbitt. “With a low-key starter meet like this, we still had a lot of people hit personal bests. I don’t think it was totally unexpected to see these performances, but it was certainly nice on this first day. Specifically I was pleased with the way Joe Kimura Smith, Ashinia Miller and Denzel Comenentia started their outdoor seasons. We had many good performances across the board.”
 
 
Senior Ashinia Miller surged to the top of the country’s list with his personal-best throw in the shot put. His fifth throw measured 65 feet, 1 ½ inches, improving his No. 4 mark in the school record books. Miller also had a mark of 64-4 in his series.
 
 
Coming off a First Team All-America performance in the shot put indoors, true freshman Denzel Comenentia lifted his fourth attempt in the hammer throw 221-1 to win. With very few collegiate outdoor meets in the books, Comenentia has taken the national lead.
 
 
Junior Alex Poursanidis, who scored for the Bulldogs at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer and was a Second Team All-American last year, worked up to a throw of 217-10 on his fifth try for runner-up honors.
 
 
On the women’s side, senior Shelby Ashe had a top mark of 201-3 on her sixth and final hammer throw to win. Her junior teammate Asianna Covington left the Spec Towns Track with a second-place finish (191-11).
 
 
Ashe returned in the shot put and completed the sweep with a third throw of 46-4. This marked the first time she had thrown the shot put for the Lady Bulldogs. Covington was also second in this event with a throw of 44-11.75, also giving her a first performance in the event.
 
 
Freshman Joe Kimura Smith wrapped up the competition for the Bulldogs by winning the javelin. He had a career-long mark of 215-6 on his fourth attempt.
 
 
Live results and a recap from each day of the Georgia Relays can be found at georgiadogs.com.
 
 
Updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country program can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (@UGATrack).