University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Continue Strong Performance At NCAAs
June 08, 2007 | Track & Field
In addition to Steffens, junior Natalie Picchetti (1500), the men’s 4x400 relay team and senior Krista Woodward advanced to the finals in their respective events. While the Lady Bulldogs are in 15th place (1 pt.) after two final events complete, Texas Tech and UCLA are tied for the early lead with 10 points and Georgetown (8), Ole Miss (8), Stanford (6) and Providence (6) round out the top five.
“I thought our second day went better than the first since we had some really positive things happen,” said head coach Wayne Norton. “(Justin) Gaymon and (Natalie) Picchetti did a great job qualifying and the 4x400 team should be a big boost to our men’s team. The highlight of the day was Jill (Steffens) scoring a point for us and becoming an All-American as a fifth-year senior. I am extremely proud and happy of her performance. I think Sarah (Gretzmacher) can hopefully break into the top 10 (in the heptathlon) and we are expecting big things from Krista Woodward in the javelin finals. I hope today set the tone for the rest of the meet.”
Steffens came away with the first All-American honor of her career during the final event of the day. As the first seven runners broke out into a lead pack in the 10,000, Steffens took control of the trailing pack and managed to cross the finish line in eighth place with the second-fastest time of her career (33:43.56).
The Moline, Ill., native completed her career with the Lady Bulldogs as one of the most dominant distance runners in school history. The three-time Southeastern Conference champion broke the school record in the 10,000 (33:21.63) at this season’s Stanford Invitational and is in the school’s all-time top-10 list in three other events.
After the Georgia’s 4x100-meter relay team failed to finish their race on Wednesday, the Bulldog 4x400 team answered their challenge during the meet’s second day. With sophomore Justin Gaymon as the lead leg, a trio of sprinters from the state of Georgia - sophomore Michael Proctor and seniors Brian Etelman and David Dickens - clocked the fourth-fastest time in school history (3:04.85) to finish second in their heat and sixth overall, guaranteeing a spot in the finals.
The 4x400 relay team, which was the No. 10 seed, will be assured All-American honors since there were only eight qualifiers and they will race in the finals at 2:35 p.m. EDT on Friday.
Gaymon, the nation’s leader in the 400 hurdles, did as expected in the first round of his premier event. The Phillipsburg, N.J., native crossed the finish line in 50.99 to win his heat and finish with the fourth-fastest time in the qualifying round. Gaymon will run in the 400 hurdle semifinals at 8:45 p.m. on Friday.
Junior Natalie Picchetti was the second competitor from Georgia on Thursday to lock down her spot in the finals. Starting the 1500 semifinals as the sixth seed, Picchetti ran the second-fastest time of her career (4:17.99) to be the 10th runner overall across the finish line (sixth in her heat). The 2007 indoor All-American will be attempting to earn her second certificate on Friday at 2:20.
Senior Krista Woodward punched her ticket to the javelin finals for the fourth time in her career. Her second throw traveled 161-9 and gave her the ninth-best throw of the day. Teammate Sigrun Fjeldsted, who took second behind Woodward at the SEC meet, missed the finals by one place after finishing 13th with a top effort of 158-2.
During the first action of the day, senior Sarah Gretzmacher completed the first four events of the heptathlon and is in 18th place with 3,230 points. Her point total puts her on pace for a personal best since she scored 3,157 points during the first day of the heptathlon at the 2007 Southeastern Conference Championships, where she finished the fifth-most points in school history (5,350).
In the opening event, Gretzmacher clocked a season-best time of 14.47 in the 100 hurdles to finish 19th overall. Although Gretzmacher also had the 19th-best time at the 2006 NCAA Championships, she trimmed .29 seconds off her time this year and added 39 more points to her total.
Gretzmacher equaled her season-best mark in the high jump (5-7.75) to tie for the top spot in her flight. Gretzmacher tied for 11th overall in the event after two competitors Southern Methodist’s Gaelle Niare and Syracuse’s Jillian Drouin cleared 6-1.50 to top the field.
In the shot put, Gretzmacher bettered her mark at the SEC Championships by more than 2 feet after registering a second throw of 37-4.50, which is her second-best effort of the season. The Arnold, Mo., native wrapped up the fourth and final event on Thursday by clocking a 25.78 in the 200 for 21st place, which is just .02 seconds off her personal-best time.
In the men’s shot put, junior Kyle Helf had a top throw of 58-0.50 in his first trip to national meet, but his 17th- place finish was not enough to put him into the event’s finals. Helf, who was the 16th seed, ended his season with a top mark of 61-3, which ties for fourth-best in school history.
Battling on the men’s side in the 10,000 was junior Ian Burrell. Burrell broke the school record in the event during his only previous 10,000 in 2007, but the No. 13 seed finished 20th on Thursday night with a time of 29:56.15 to wrap up his season.
On Friday, senior Jennifer Dahlgren will be attempting to defend her NCAA title in the hammer throw finals at 2 p.m. to start the action for Georgia. Junior Levern Spencer, who was a 2006 outdoor All-American and this year’s No. 2 seed, will be gunning for her first NCAA Division I championship in the high jump at 8:15 p.m.
A recap and live results from the NCAA Championships can be found at georgiadogs.com.
IN OTHER NEWS: Dahlgren, who was the 2006 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, was named the 2007 USTFCCCA East Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year this week. After earning runner-up honors in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Dahlgren broke her own school, collegiate and South American records in the hammer throw with an effort of 239-4 at the Spec Towns Invitational. Dahlgren will be attempting to notch her third NCAA title of her career on Friday.
Georgia’s results on Thursday
Sarah Gretzmacher (Heptathlon: 100-meter hurdles 14.47, high jump 5 feet, 7 inches, shot put 37-4.50, 200 25.78) 3,230 pts.
Kyle Helf (shot put) 58-0.50 *Krista Woodward (javelin) 161-9
Sigrun Fjeldsted (javelin) 158-2
&Justin Gaymon (400 hurdles) 50.99
*Natalie Picchetti (1500) 4:17.99
*J. Gaymon, D. Dickens, M. Proctor, B. Etelman (4x400 relay) 3:04.85
#Ian Burrell (10,000) 20th 29:56.15
^#Jill Steffens (10,000) 8th 33:43.56
^ - All-American
# - Event finals
* - qualified for finals
& - qualified for semifinals
TEAM RESULTS (TOP 10)
| WOMEN | MEN |
| 1. Texas Tech - 10 pts. | 1. Wisconsin - 12 pts. |
| 1. UCLA - 10 pts. | 2. Cal-State Northridge - 10 pts. |
| 3. Georgetown - 8 pts. | 2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 10 pts. |
| 3. Mississippi - 8 pts. | 2. Arizona - 10 pts. |
| 5. Stanford - 6 pts. | 5. Tennessee - 9 pts. |
| 5. Providence - 6 pts. | 5. Kansas - 9 pts. |
| 7. Arizona State - 5 pts. | 7. Oregon - 8 pts. |
| 7. Monmouth - 5 pts. | 7. Louisville - 8 pts. |
| 9. Rice - 4 | 7. Liberty - 8 pts. |
| 9. Santa Barbara - 4 pts. | 10. Washington - 6 pts. |
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 8
| TIME (EDT) | NAME | EVENT |
| 2:00 pm | Jennifer Dahlgren | Hammer (finals) |
| 2:30 pm | Sarah Gretzmacher | %Heptathlon (long jump, javelin, 800) |
| 4:15 pm | Nate Rolfe | Hammer (finals) |
| 8:00 pm | David Dickens | 400 (semifinals) |
| 8:15 pm | Levern Spencer | High jump (finals) |
| 8:45 pm | Justin Gaymon | 400 hurdles (semifinals) |
% - rolling schedule
