University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
NCAA East Preliminary Round
Orji's NCAA Record Highlights Dawgs' Day
May 28, 2016 | Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- Georgia sophomore Keturah Orji set the collegiate record in the triple jump and she was one of four Bulldog individuals and a relay team who qualified for the NCAA Championships during the final day of the NCAA East Prelims in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday.
Orji, a native of Mount Olive, N.J., traveled 46 feet, 10 ¾ inches on her first attempt with a legal 1.7 wind and soared past the collegiate record of 46-9 set by Florida State's Kim Williams in 2011.
Orji, who matched the all-time, all-conditions collegiate record with a windy attempt (2.1 meters/second or more) of 47-10.75 to win the Southeastern Conference Championships two weeks ago, now owns the NCAA record as well as the sixth- and seventh-best wind legal jumps in collegiate history.
"I'm happy with how today went," said Orji. "My mark today was a wind legal personal record and I'm more excited that I am becoming a more consistent jumper over 46 feet, 7 inches. The goal for today was to get a qualifying spot for NCAAs and Aliyah (Johnson) and I were able to do that so it was a great day."
Redshirt freshman Aliyah Johnson made the triple jump extra sweet for the Lady Bulldogs with a personal-best third attempt that clinched her spot at the coming NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 8-11.
Also on Saturday, senior Ashinia Miller (a personal best 65-8.25) finished third in the shot put and true freshman Denzel Comenentia (61-7) took seventh to both qualify for the NCAA Championships. In the final event of the meet, the men's 4x400-meter relay team automatically qualified by taking third in their heat with a season-best time.
Georgia heads into the final rounds of the NCAA Championships with 18 total qualifiers.
Earlier this weekend, senior Christian Harrison gave the Bulldogs their first qualifier on the track with his performance in the 800m while sophomore Mady Fagan advanced to her first NCAA outdoor meet in the high jump on Friday.
On Thursday, junior Alex Poursanidis and Comenentia (hammer) and Orji and senior Chanice Porter (long jump) qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Senior Maicel Uibo, junior Devon Williams, sophomore Karl Saluri (decathlon) and junior Kendell Williams (heptathlon) have already earned their invitation in the combined events and were allowed to bypass the Prelims.
This marked the last day for the Bulldogs and others to qualify at North Florida's track for the final rounds of the NCAA Championships.
"Overall, I'd have to say it was a pretty good day today," said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou. "Obviously Keturah's NCAA record was a massive highlight for us. Her teammate in the triple jump, Aliyah Johnson, stepped it up with a personal record. We capitalized today on our elite team members showcasing their talents. We had a magnificent duo in the shot put who are showing they are national contenders. Our crew who competed today had a laser focus and was sharp. I feel we have qualified solid full teams, and these individuals are excited about representing their Georgia uniforms in Oregon."
Orji's performance in the triple jump continued her dominant run in the event during the first two years of her career. Also qualifying in the long jump this weekend, Orji has won all four of her SEC meets (indoor and outdoor), captured two NCAA titles and was the 2015 NCAA indoor runner-up. She will return to Eugene after Nationals for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the triple.
One of her training partners, Aliyah Johnson, added suspense at the end of the triple jump competition with a clutch third attempt. The Brisbane, Australia, native improved to a career-best distance of 43-0.25 on her third and final attempt to punch the first ticket of her career to the NCAA Championships. While this jumped matched Campbell's Sabina Allen for the 12th and last qualifying spot, Johnson's second-best mark of 42-3.50 topped Allen's effort of 42-1.25.
Miller, native of Kingston, Jamaica, launched an opening shot put attempt of 62-6.50, which would have qualified him for Nationals. The 2016 SEC indoor and outdoor champion returned with a second effort of 65-8.25, which improved his No. 4 spot in the school record books and gave him third in the competition. Miller's journey to the NCAA Outdoor Championships included him missing the meet with a 33rd-place finish at Prelims as a freshman, 15th as a sophomore and 13th as a junior.
Comenentia qualified in his second event on his sole legal throw in the shot. The Amsterdam, Netherlands, native watched his opening try travel 61-7 and that was good enough for seventh place on Saturday. Comenentia, who was a First Team All-American in the shot indoors, also qualified for the NCAA Championships in the hammer.
During the final event of the three-day meet, junior Maurice Freeman, junior Reggie Glover, freshman Jeramey Hampton and junior Ayrian Evans recorded an automatic qualifying finish in the 4x400m relay by taking third in the second heat with a season-best time of 3:05.79.
In addition, senior Zack Sims ran a 14:27.18 in his final time on the track as a Bulldog during the semifinal round of the 5000m.
Full results from the NCAA East Prelims will be posted at georgiadogs.com.
Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).
Players Mentioned
