Georgia Track And Field: News And Notes

ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia’s track and field teams have one weekend of rest before the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships arrive in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 26-28. This will mark the Bulldogs’ fifth weekend of competition and the second time this season that Georgia will battle the nation’s top talent in Arkansas’ indoor facility. The Bulldogs will make a third trip to Fayetteville on March 12-13 for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The Bulldog men are No. 23 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll after starting the season ranked No. 19. There are seven men’s teams from the SEC in the top 25 while five SEC women’s teams are represented in their poll.

Here are some news and notes regarding the Bulldog program:

Bulldog Sophomore Sprinter Continues Blazing Pace

Georgia sophomore sprinter Torrin Lawrence has continued to have one of the most memorable seasons in Bulldog track and field history. The Jacksonville, Fla., native clocked an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 45.03 in the 400-meter dash, which is the third-fastest time in collegiate history and the seventh-fastest overall time in the history of the world, to win at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 12-13). He was later named the SEC Male Runner of the Week for the second time this year. This was the fastest indoor 400 since Kerron Clement (44.57) broke the world record in 2005. His time also shattered the school record, which was set at the 2008 SEC Championships by Justin Gaymon. Gaymon clocked the former record of 45.94 as he was claiming an indoor conference title – the Bulldogs’ first and only indoor conference championship in this event.

400-Meter Dash World Indoor All-Time List

Time	Name	Date
*44.57	Kerron Clement	March 12, 2005
44.63	Michael Johnson	March 4, 1995
44.66	M. Johnson	March 2, 1996
*44.93	LaShawn Merritt	February 11, 2005
44.97	M. Johnson	February 10, 1995
45.02	Danny Everett	February 2, 1992
*45.03	Torrin Lawrence	February 12, 2010

* - top three all-time collegiate times

Other notable performances for Lawrence in 2010 include:

Lawrence’s performance in Fayetteville, Ark., comes on the heels of another pair of memorable races. He won the 200 at the Virginia Tech Elite meet (Feb. 5-6) with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 20.80, which is No. 2 in the SEC and No. 3 in both the NCAA and the world this year. This was the second-fastest 200 for Lawrence in his career after he set a new school record in the event (20.77) as a freshman in 2009 with a time that finished No. 2 in the world for oversized tracks in 2009.

He bolted to a collegiate record in the 300-meter dash with a time of 32.32 to win at the Hokie Invitational (Jan. 22-23). His finish topped Lorenzo Daniels’ time of 32.67 set in 1987. Lawrence’s 32.32 is the fifth-fastest indoor 300 in the world ever and only .44 seconds behind the world indoor record of 31.88 (Wallace Spearmon, 2006). Lawrence, who was also named the SEC Male Runner of the Week following his showcase at the Hokie Invitational, made his collegiate debut at the 2009 Kentucky Invitational and finished with his school-record mark of 20.77. He later won UGA’s first SEC indoor 200 title and was an All-American in the event after taking seventh at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Lawrence In The UGA Indoor Record Books

Event	Time	Spot in record books
400m	45.03	1st
200m	20.77	1st
*4x400m	3:07.45	1st
60m	6.75	T3rd

* - Lawrence was also on the Bulldog relay teams featuring different team members with the seventh- and 10th- fastest finishes in school history

Not Just Another ‘Face In The Crowd’

For the second time in his career, Torrin Lawrence has been featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces In The Crowd” section in its magazine. In the February 15, 2010 issue, Lawrence was one of six individuals featured by the national publication for his outstanding accomplishments at the 2010 Tyson Invitational, which is detailed in the above note. On March 2, 2009, Lawrence was featured as a freshman after setting the school record in the 200 (20.77) at the Kentucky Invitational and picking up convincing wins in both the 400 and 4x400 relay at the 2009 Tyson Invitational.

Barrineau, Holman Gearing Up For Epic Heptathlon Showdown At SECs

Bulldog junior Tommy Barrineau took the country by storm after piling up an NCAA provisional qualifying and school-record total of 5,608 points to win the heptathlon at the Razorback Invitational (Jan. 22-23) and take the national lead in the event. He was named the SEC Male Field Athlete of the Week following his performance.

Since Barrineau’s 2010 debut, only five heptathletes from across the country – and none from the SEC - have scored more points. Among those five is current national leader Ashton Eaton, an Oregon senior who broke the collegiate record with 6,256 points late in January. But before Barrineau gets a shot at the national field, he will be battling a talented trio at the SEC Championships.

Bulldog junior Cory Holman, a transfer from Rend Lake, is trailing Barrineau by just 81 points (No. 3 in the SEC) and has the potential to top the field in both the high jump and 60-meter hurdles. Holman was leading the Razorback Invite following the opening day and ended up the runner-up with this NCAA provisional qualifying score, which is No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time list. Holman’s 7.93 in the 60 hurdles puts him third on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list. Florida sophomore Gray Horn, who is second in the league, finished second at the 2009 SEC Indoor Championships with a career-best 5,586 points and witnessed Eaton’s collegiate record at the Texas A&M Challenge while tallying his season-best total of 5,538. Although he is 22nd nationally, Arkansas sophomore and USC transfer Terry Prentice is also expected to be in contention for the conference crown on his home track after taking seventh at last year’s league meet.

Top Four Heptathletes In The SEC

Tommy Barrineau-GEORGIA – 5,608 pts. (No. 6 nationally)
Gray Horn-Florida – 5,538 pts. (No. 8 nationally)
Cory Holman-GEORGIA – 5,527 pts. (No. 10 nationally)
Terry Prentice-Arkansas – 5,350 pts. (No. 22 nationally)

Lomnicka Snatches SEC Lead In The Weight Throw

It took four meets into the season, but sophomore Nikola Lomnicka has now overtaken Kentucky’s Kristin Smith for the No. 1 spot on the SEC’s performance list in the weight throw. Lomnicka watched her third attempt at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 12-13) travel a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying distance of 67 feet, 6 ¾ inches. This mark not only gave her a lead of less than an inch over Smith and a tie for the No. 4 spot on the NCAA performance list, but it also gave her the second-longest throw for a Lady Bulldog in school history (Jenny Dahlgren, the 2006 and 2007 SEC champion and four-time All-American in the weight, is the school record holder with a mark of 78-10.50). A transfer from Clemson, Lomnicka finished third in the weight at the 2009 ACC Indoor Championships before bringing second-place conference honors back to South Carolina in the hammer throw.

Even More Transfers Answering The Bell

In addition to Lomnicka, Georgia’s track and field program added another handful of talented transfers during the offseason – and the benefits are showing up in a big way.

On the men’s side, three transfers have experienced career-best performances and are poised to score points during the postseason.

Cory Holman (Rend Lake), as mentioned earlier in the note about Barrineau, quickly shot to No. 2 in the school record books with his 5,527 points in the heptathlon. As far as individual events go, Holman clocked the third-best time in school history in the 60 hurdles (7.93) and is on the edge of hitting the 7-foot mark in the high jump after winning at the Razorback Invitational, going over the bar at 6-11.

Sophomore Aaron Evans (Memphis) opened the year by flying to a 1:50.65 to win the 800 at the Kentucky Invitational. Evans’ time is extremely close to the NCAA provisional qualifying mark (1:50.50) and is the fourth-best time in school history. Evans has also proved to be an important ingredient on the Bulldogs’ 4x400 relay team after the Georgia quartet clocked an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:09.96 earlier this season, which is the seventh-best time in school history.

Sophomore Allen Brandon (Ohio State) grabbed a personal-best mark in the pole vault (17 feet) and is already No. 5 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list. Allen missed getting an NCAA provisional qualifying mark by ¾ inches.

For the Lady Bulldogs, three more transfers have had early success and are positioning themselves to make an impact at the conference and national meets.

Latroya Darrell (Central Arizona), who is a sophomore indoors and a junior outdoors, is tied at 26th in the nation (tied for third in the SEC) with a triple jump mark of 41-8. Darrell has a first- and a second-place finish in the event this year and has crept up to No. 7 in the Lady Bulldog record books.

Junior Alesha Asijie (Mesa Comm. College) launched a personal-best throw of 61 feet in the weight throw to take fifth at the Tyson Invitational and is currently fourth in the SEC. Asijie is just 6 ¼ inches from nailing down an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Kat Majester (Clemson) is one of the more rare cases. Majester is a graduate student after finishing her undergraduate degree last year. She cheered for the Tiger football team for four seasons and pole vaulted for Clemson’s track and field team for a year before arriving in Athens for graduate school. Majester had a career-best and NCAA provisional qualifying jump of 13-2.25 to take second at the Virginia Tech Elite meet, which is the fifth-best mark in school history.

Speaking Of Pole Vaulting . . .

Highly touted freshman Jade Riebold bounced back from missing a height at the season opener to exploding for a personal-best jump of 13 feet, 3 ¾ inches to take 10th at the Tyson Invitational. Riebold moved to No. 4 on the Lady Bulldog top-10 list with the highest pole vault mark for her team in the last four years. This was her second NCAA provisional qualifying mark of the year after recording a mark of 13-2.25 at the Virginia Tech Elite meet. Riebold is on a streak of three straight PRs.

Overdue For An SEC Champion

The Georgia women claimed the 2006 SEC indoor and outdoor team titles after racking up more than 100 points in each of their league meets. Since 2004, the Lady Bulldogs have eight top-12 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a fourth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships. After failing to score at both NCAA meets in 2009, this year’s group of Georgia women are ready to return the program to an elite level.

The Lady Bulldogs will attempt to start this climb by winning an SEC indoor title. Georgia had three SEC indoor champions on the women’s side in 2007, but have failed to have a first-place finisher since then. The Lady Bulldogs are also in search of their first indoor All-American since Georgia had four in 2007, including two in the high jump (NCAA champion Patricia Sylvester, Levern Spencer).

Krueger Pops Onto The Scene

Sophomore Kristie Krueger concluded her second cross country season by running at the NCAA Championships following a fourth-place finish at SECs and an eighth-place finish at the South Regionals. Krueger made her official indoor season debut at the Tyson Invitational and did not disappoint.

The Argyle, Texas, native sped to the third-fastest finish in Georgia history in the mile to take second at the Tyson Invitational with a time of 4:41.64. This was an NCAA provisional qualifying time for Krueger and shot her to second on the SEC performance list and 12th on the nation. Krueger scored for the Lady Bulldogs at the 2009 league meet after taking eighth.

Also On The Distance Side Of Things

Senior Bridget Lyons opened her final indoor campaign by clocking an NCAA provisional qualifying and personal-best time of 16:36.03 in the 5000-meter run at the Tyson meet. Lyons was fourth at the meet and moved to No. 6 in the school record books. She was 12th at last year’s SEC indoor meet, but is currently third on the SEC performance list.

Four In The 5-8 Club

For the first time in school history, the Lady Bulldogs have four different high jumpers who have cleared at least 5 feet, 8 inches in a season. Sophomore Carin Walker won the Hokie Invitational reaching a career-best height of 5-8.50 as junior Shaquita Young finished second with the same height (Young had two misses at 5-8.50 before clearing and Walker had only one miss). Freshman Saniel Atkinson also has a career-best mark of 5-8.50 this season after tying for second at the Virginia Tech Elite meet.

Another newcomer – Latroya Darrell – reached 5-8 at the season-opening Kentucky Invitational to tie for fifth.

In one of the weaker years for women’s high jump, 5-5.25 scored at last year’s SEC Indoor Championships.

Three’s Good Company

The Bulldogs sit at the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the SEC in the men’s weight throw are gunning for big points from their senior trio when the SEC Indoor Championships arrive. John Freeman leads the pack after hitting 68 feet for the last two meets. Freeman took second at the Virginia Tech meet with a personal-best throw of 68 feet, 1 inch and is now No. 10 on the NCAA performance list. Only two throwers from the SEC, including national leader Walter Henning from LSU (76-6.50), have bigger marks this year.

Branislav Danis posted more than a two-foot personal-best effort at the Tyson Invitational and is now slated at the fifth spot in the SEC. Danis waited until his sixth and final attempt to launch a throw measuring 66-4.50 and sits, for the first time in his career, on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list in the event.

David Schiedt will be gunning for his fifth straight career-best effort when his team returns to Fayetteville. Schiedt started the year with a mark of 59-2 and has now reached 61-4.25 after his finish at the Tyson meet.

Georgia has won seven SEC weight titles, including five straight from 2000-04. The last indoor conference field championship the Bulldog men won was in the pole vault in 2005 (Brad Smith).

SEC Weekly Award Winners

John Freeman – SEC Male Field Athlete of the Week (Jan. 19)
Tommy Barrineau – SEC Male Field Athlete of the Week (Jan. 26)
Torrin Lawrence – SEC Male Runner of the Week (Jan. 26)
T. Lawrence – SEC Male Runner of the Week (Feb. 16)
Nikola Lomnicka – SEC Female Field Athlete of the Week (Feb. 16)

Georgia’s NCAA Automatic Qualifiers

MEN

Torrin Lawrence – 400-meter dash – 45.03
Torrin Lawrence – 200m – 20.80

Georgia’s NCAA Provisional Qualifiers

MEN

Israel Machovec – Shot put – 60 feet, 6 ¾ inches
John Freeman – Weight throw – 68-1
Branislav Danis – Weight throw – 66-4.50
4x400m relay (Adams, Lawrence, Evans, Brown) – 3:09.96
Aaron LaGarde – 51-2.25
Tommy Barrineau – Heptathlon – 5,608
Cory Holman – Heptathlon – 5,527

WOMEN

Nikola Lomnicka – Weight throw – 67-6.75
Latroya Darrell – Triple jump – 41-8
Kristie Krueger – Mile – 4:41.64
Bridget Lyons – 5000m – 16:36.03
Jade Riebold – Pole vault – 13-3.75
Kat Majester – Pole vault – 13-2.25

University of Georgia Athletics

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