Track & Field Teams Compete In Second Indoor Meet

Friday, January 19

Clemson, S.C.

All Day

University of Georgia

Clemson Invitational

January 19, 2018 | Track & Field

Heat Sheets Meet Schedule

CLEMSON, S.C. --- Georgia's track and field teams made their second consecutive trip to Clemson, S.C., for the second indoor meet of the season on Friday and Saturday.

Who's Competing & Who's Ranked: The second-ranked Bulldog men and the third-ranked Georgia women will join No. 1/No. 6 Florida, No. 18/No. 9 Kentucky, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, J.C. Smith, No. 22/No. 23 Penn State, Purdue and No. 8/-- Virginia Tech at the Clemson University Indoor Track.

Kyprianou's Comments: "The team is fired up to get the second meet of the year going and really enter the heart of the indoor season," said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou, whose teams have three top-four indoor national finishes in the last two years, including a runner-up performance by the women in 2017. "It will serve as another great and competitive opportunity to get some more NCAA qualifiers and boost our confidence going into the Razorback meet next week, which is a preview of the NCAA/(Southeastern Conference) meets.

"As we continue to battle some injuries, we try to motivate and push to see if we can find new NCAA-caliber prospects through our student-athlete leadership. I am confident the true leaders on this team will show the way for the young ones to find their greatness as we move towards March. We have a lot of quality on this team who has worked hard. Injuries are part of the game and our folks must get healthier and happier as we move forward. I keep telling the team that like in ancient Rome and the chariot races, every talented and gifted athlete is here because they produce a lot of horse power. However, they have to put all their horses in line and guide them towards the finish line.

"Laser focus, attention to detail and preparation are still our main ingredients and it is demanded by everyone from the student-athletes to the coaches to the support staff. No excuses but focus and be prepared to make adjustments if needed. I am excited to watch this team to continue to put things together towards our goals. Go Dawgs!"

When Do The Bulldogs Start At Clemson Invitational: The multi-events (men's heptathlon, women's pentathlon) start the meet on Friday at 9:30 a.m. However, Georgia's first competitions arrive at 2:30 p.m. on the meet's first day with the women's 60-meter hurdle prelims (freshman Tara Davis), men's long jump (senior Karl Saluri, freshman Johannes Erm, junior Keenon Laine), women's shot put (junior Anna Machovec, sophomore Louisa Grauvogel, freshman Skyla Beal) and women's pole vault (senior Emily Savage). The meet continues on Friday until the men's 60m final at 6:40 p.m.

The Bulldogs crank back up on Saturday at 11 a.m. with the women's high jump (juniors Bailey Weiland and Mary Terry, senior Mady Fagan). The Clemson Invitational concludes with the men's 4x400m relay at 3 p.m. and freshman Ryne Bevan, seniors Cejhae Greene and Kendal Williams and junior Jeramey Hampton are expected to pass the baton for UGA.

Live Results: To check on Georgia at the Clemson Invitational, please visit the live results link at:
http://gado.gs/8cv.

What Other Bulldogs Are Competing: Other Georgia team members traveling include: seniors Addy Lippitt, Aliyah Johnson, Henry Dwyer, Austin Sprague, Bryan Kamau, Jon Moses, juniors Raytez Jenkins, Michael Nicholls, Denzel Comenentia, Jonathan Raines, Eric Westog, Caroline Dickey, Kate Hall, Grace Tavani, Terrell Estime, Daniel Navarro, sophomores Ansley Heavern, Jessica Drop, Micaiah Ransby, Amber Tanner, Katie Jackson, Makenzi Kopp, Tyler Jones, Darius Carbin, Jonathan Pelham, Ryan Peppenhorst and freshmen Halle McClintock, Lynna Irby, Antonios Merlos, Tiffany Yue, John Bradley, Quinn Burden, Nate Reichard, Davis Stockwell, Michael Hans, Skyla Beal and Justes Nance.

Go Time: A number of Georgia team members are expected to either open their seasons or make their debut in their featured events this weekend in Clemson. Here's a glance at what to look for:
*Comenentia is slated on the start lists to throw the shot put at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. He won the SEC title last year as a sophomore and was the NCAA runner-up in the event.
*Jenkins, who was sidelined for the 2017 indoor and outdoor seasons as he recovered from a leg injury, will return to the track in the 400m at 6 p.m. on Friday. He is expected to be one of the Bulldogs' key relay legs as they work to advance again to NCAAs.
*Fagan will high jump at 11 a.m. on Saturday to make her season debut. She swept the SEC and NCAA meets in 2017 and set a school record with a mark of 6 feet, 4 inches.
*Hampton will open in the 800m on Saturday at 12:25 p.m. He scored at the 2017 SEC outdoor meet and clocked a 1:49 last indoor season.
*Two-time defending NCAA indoor champion Orji competes in the triple jump at 1 p.m. on Saturday. She owns five of the top-10 collegiate marks of all-time, including the top three, and was fourth at the 2016 Olympics. Davis, who traveled 43-3.75 in the triple jump outdoors last year in high school, is also on the start lists for the Lady Bulldogs.
*Carbin returns to action after missing most of the 2017 outdoor season and will high jump at 1 p.m. He won the SEC title last year as a true freshman and was a First Team All-American indoors. Joining him in this weekend's high jump field with be true freshman Antonios Merlos, who hit a mark of 7-2.50 in his native Greece last outdoor season.
*Drop will run in the 3000m at 1:55 p.m. This is her first race since earning All-America honors with a 31^st-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to help lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 17^th-place team finish.

Strong Start: The Bulldogs opened their campaign at the Orange & Purple Classic two weeks ago and produced a number of exceptional showings to start the year:
*Hall soared to the country's top long jump in 2018 (21-9.50) as Orji was second (21-2, third nationally) and Davis was third (fourth nationally). Hall also finished first in the 60m with the nation's seventh-best time this year (7.32).
*Irby made her collegiate debut and won the 300m with the 10^th-best time in NCAA history at 36.73. She was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Women's Athlete of the Week. Irby now prepares to run her first 200m on Saturday at 12:35 p.m. and she continues to train for her featured event, the 400m.
*Davis (8.28) and Grauvogel (8.31) went 3-4 in the 60m hurdle final with the fourth and fifth-best times in school history (12^th and 14^th on the current national list). Davis will focus on the 60m hurdles and long and triple jumps this year while Grauvogel is training for the pentathlon indoors.
*Laine wasted no time surging into a tie for the school record in the high jump at 7-5.25 to win. This was the national leader and has now slipped to second after Texas Tech's Trey Culver reached 7-7.75 last weekend.
*Greene and Williams opened their year with two of the nation's top-10 times in the 60m. Greene sped to a runner-up finish with the second-best time in school history (sixth nationally in 2018) of 6.66 and Williams clocked the country's ninth-best time this year of 6.67 to take third. Williams owns the school record of 6.51 set on the Clemson track last year. The pair will battle in the 60m and the 200m this weekend.
*Nicholls, a transfer from the University of New Orleans, finished with the third-best 60m hurdles time in UGA history (7.86) and stands 12^th on the national list.

Where Does The Indoor Season Take The Dogs: This is the second of three trips to Clemson during Georgia's four-meet regular season. Following the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 26-27, the Bulldogs return to Clemson for the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 9-10. The SEC Championships (Feb. 23-24) and NCAA Championships (March 9-10) are both in College Station, Texas.

Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).