University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, May 25
Tampa, Fla.
All Day
University of Georgia
at
NCAA East Prelims
Track Sends Three More To Championships
May 25, 2018 | Track & Field
TAMPA, Fla. --- Georgia's track and field teams had three more qualify for the coming NCAA Outdoor Championships and advanced another four to latter rounds at the NCAA East Prelims in Tampa, Fla., on Friday.
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Freshman Lynna Irby (400-meter dash), junior Kendal Williams (100m) and senior Cejhae Greene (100m) gave the Bulldogs three more qualifiers for the NCAA outdoor meet during the second day of the Prelims.  Georgia has now qualified a total of 11 in Tampa and have a total of 14 entries so far counting the trio in the combined events.Â
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Junior Michael Nicholls (110m hurdles), freshman Tara Davis (100m hurdles), Williams (200m) and Irby (200m) also made it to the next round of the Prelims on Saturday.
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On Thursday, junior Denzel Comenentia (hammer throw), sophomore Tairyn Montgomery (javelin), freshman Marie-Therese Obst (javelin), senior Tatiana Gusin (high jump), Davis (long jump), senior Keturah Orji (long jump), sophomore Kate Hall (long jump) and sophomore Samantha Drop (10,000 meters) punched their tickets to Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9.
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Three Georgia team members earned the right to skip the Prelims and qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships.  Senior Karl Saluri and freshman Johannes Erm (decathlon) and sophomore Louisa Grauvogel (heptathlon) are all ranked in the top seven nationally and have been included in the Nationals field already.
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There are 48 competitors from the East Region in every individual event and 24 teams in each of the relay races.  The NCAA West Prelims is running simultaneously in Sacramento with the same format.  The top 12 in each event and from both regions advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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For live results on Saturday, please click on:http://gado.gs/93n.
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Irby was the first Georgia competitor to be NCAA bound on Friday after setting a school record in the 400m.  A day after dropping a personal record of 50.77, the Indianapolis, Ind., native sped to the 16th-fastest time in collegiate history with a 50.44 to finish more than a second in front of the nearest competitor in her heat.  The nearest opposition in the 400m quarters won the second heat in 51.19.
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Irby passed her own meet and facility records and pushed 2016 Olympic gold medalist Shaunae Miller (50.70) to second on UGA's all-time top-10 list.  Miller registered that time taking second at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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For the second time in as many years, the Bulldogs have put through two in the men's 100m.  Williams equaled his second-fastest time of the year with a 10.08 to win the opening heat.  Greene finished first in the next group thanks to a 10.15 after clocking a season-best 10.11 in the first round on Thursday.  The pair both scored in the 60m at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships.
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Williams last scored in the 100m at the 2015 NCAA outdoor meet after taking fifth with a windy 9.98 while competing for Florida State. Greene was 19thin the semifinal round for the Seminoles of the 2014 Nationals with a wind-aided time of 10.30.  Both sprinters transferred to UGA after the 2015 season.
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Georgia also had four runners advance to Saturday's quarterfinals.  Nicholls won the fifth heat to tie for 17thoverall with a 13.91.  He was a 2017 semifinalist in the event while competing for the University of New Orleans and was a First Team All-American in the 60m hurdles for the Bulldogs earlier this year.  He is scheduled to run on Saturday in the quarters at 1:35 p.m.
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On the women's side, Davis forwarded the process of her qualifying for Eugene in a second event after her finish in the 100m hurdles.  Davis was third in her heat and 19thoverall thanks to a finish of 13.26.  She is slated to compete in the event's quarters at 1:50 p.m. on Saturday.
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Williams returned to the track not long after he clinched his Nationals spot in the 100m to advance to the next round of the 200m. Similar to the 100m, he won his heat after running a 20.31 to be sixth overall.  Williams will race in the 4x100m quarters at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday before lining up in the 200m quarters at 2:05 p.m.
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Irby was Georgia's last competitor on Friday and managed to finish with the field's second-fastest 200m time in windy, rainy conditions.  While the event's winner was pushed by a massive +5.3 meter/second wind, Irby won the sixth heat with what would have been a school record time of 22.06 had the wind reading not been +2.4.  Irby's time ranks third on the all-conditions all-time collegiate bests list.  After a legal races in the first three heats, gusts of wind (including a +4.8 reading in the fourth heat) eventually brought a weather delay with lightning in the Tampa area.
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Had it been legal, Irby's time would have jumped past Debbie Ferguson's 22.19 from 1999 on Georgia's all-time top-10 list. Incidentally, Irby is attempting to become the first Lady Bulldog since Ferguson that year to race at both distances at the NCAA meet.  She will race in the 200m quarters on Saturday at 2:20 p.m.
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Senior Emily Savage wrapped up her career for the Lady Bulldogs with a personal record in the pole vault.  Following a third attempt clearance at 12 feet, 4 ¾ inches, she went over the bar at 13-4.50 on her third and final try as well for 20thplace to improve her No. 10 spot in the school record books.
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The Bulldog men's 4x100m relay squad will start the day for Georgia on the track at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Senior Keturah Orji, who is already qualified in the long jump, will join senior Aliyah Johnson in the triple jump also at 12:30 on the meet's final day.
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Results and recaps from the NCAA East Prelims will be found at georgiadogs.com.  News and updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams are always located on Twitter/Instagram at@UGATrack.
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^qualified with their scoring heading into Prelims with score included above; *personal best; #season best; ~stadium record; !school/meet/facility record & No. 5 on 2018 world list; $No. 3 on collegiate all-conditions, all-time list
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Freshman Lynna Irby (400-meter dash), junior Kendal Williams (100m) and senior Cejhae Greene (100m) gave the Bulldogs three more qualifiers for the NCAA outdoor meet during the second day of the Prelims.  Georgia has now qualified a total of 11 in Tampa and have a total of 14 entries so far counting the trio in the combined events.Â
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Junior Michael Nicholls (110m hurdles), freshman Tara Davis (100m hurdles), Williams (200m) and Irby (200m) also made it to the next round of the Prelims on Saturday.
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On Thursday, junior Denzel Comenentia (hammer throw), sophomore Tairyn Montgomery (javelin), freshman Marie-Therese Obst (javelin), senior Tatiana Gusin (high jump), Davis (long jump), senior Keturah Orji (long jump), sophomore Kate Hall (long jump) and sophomore Samantha Drop (10,000 meters) punched their tickets to Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9.
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Three Georgia team members earned the right to skip the Prelims and qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships.  Senior Karl Saluri and freshman Johannes Erm (decathlon) and sophomore Louisa Grauvogel (heptathlon) are all ranked in the top seven nationally and have been included in the Nationals field already.
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There are 48 competitors from the East Region in every individual event and 24 teams in each of the relay races.  The NCAA West Prelims is running simultaneously in Sacramento with the same format.  The top 12 in each event and from both regions advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Â
For live results on Saturday, please click on:http://gado.gs/93n.
Â
Irby was the first Georgia competitor to be NCAA bound on Friday after setting a school record in the 400m.  A day after dropping a personal record of 50.77, the Indianapolis, Ind., native sped to the 16th-fastest time in collegiate history with a 50.44 to finish more than a second in front of the nearest competitor in her heat.  The nearest opposition in the 400m quarters won the second heat in 51.19.
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Irby passed her own meet and facility records and pushed 2016 Olympic gold medalist Shaunae Miller (50.70) to second on UGA's all-time top-10 list.  Miller registered that time taking second at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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For the second time in as many years, the Bulldogs have put through two in the men's 100m.  Williams equaled his second-fastest time of the year with a 10.08 to win the opening heat.  Greene finished first in the next group thanks to a 10.15 after clocking a season-best 10.11 in the first round on Thursday.  The pair both scored in the 60m at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships.
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Williams last scored in the 100m at the 2015 NCAA outdoor meet after taking fifth with a windy 9.98 while competing for Florida State. Greene was 19thin the semifinal round for the Seminoles of the 2014 Nationals with a wind-aided time of 10.30.  Both sprinters transferred to UGA after the 2015 season.
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Georgia also had four runners advance to Saturday's quarterfinals.  Nicholls won the fifth heat to tie for 17thoverall with a 13.91.  He was a 2017 semifinalist in the event while competing for the University of New Orleans and was a First Team All-American in the 60m hurdles for the Bulldogs earlier this year.  He is scheduled to run on Saturday in the quarters at 1:35 p.m.
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On the women's side, Davis forwarded the process of her qualifying for Eugene in a second event after her finish in the 100m hurdles.  Davis was third in her heat and 19thoverall thanks to a finish of 13.26.  She is slated to compete in the event's quarters at 1:50 p.m. on Saturday.
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Williams returned to the track not long after he clinched his Nationals spot in the 100m to advance to the next round of the 200m. Similar to the 100m, he won his heat after running a 20.31 to be sixth overall.  Williams will race in the 4x100m quarters at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday before lining up in the 200m quarters at 2:05 p.m.
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Irby was Georgia's last competitor on Friday and managed to finish with the field's second-fastest 200m time in windy, rainy conditions.  While the event's winner was pushed by a massive +5.3 meter/second wind, Irby won the sixth heat with what would have been a school record time of 22.06 had the wind reading not been +2.4.  Irby's time ranks third on the all-conditions all-time collegiate bests list.  After a legal races in the first three heats, gusts of wind (including a +4.8 reading in the fourth heat) eventually brought a weather delay with lightning in the Tampa area.
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Had it been legal, Irby's time would have jumped past Debbie Ferguson's 22.19 from 1999 on Georgia's all-time top-10 list. Incidentally, Irby is attempting to become the first Lady Bulldog since Ferguson that year to race at both distances at the NCAA meet.  She will race in the 200m quarters on Saturday at 2:20 p.m.
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Senior Emily Savage wrapped up her career for the Lady Bulldogs with a personal record in the pole vault.  Following a third attempt clearance at 12 feet, 4 ¾ inches, she went over the bar at 13-4.50 on her third and final try as well for 20thplace to improve her No. 10 spot in the school record books.
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The Bulldog men's 4x100m relay squad will start the day for Georgia on the track at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Senior Keturah Orji, who is already qualified in the long jump, will join senior Aliyah Johnson in the triple jump also at 12:30 on the meet's final day.
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Results and recaps from the NCAA East Prelims will be found at georgiadogs.com.  News and updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams are always located on Twitter/Instagram at@UGATrack.
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| Bulldog Qualifiers For The 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships | ||
| Name | Event | Prelims Finish/Mark |
|---|---|---|
| THURSDAY | ||
| Denzel Comenentia | Hammer Throw | 1st/~241-1 |
| Keturah Orji | Long Jump | 1st/21-0 |
| Tara Davis | Long Jump | 3rd/20-10.75 |
| Kate Hall | Long Jump | 4th/20-6.25 |
| Tatiana Gusin | High Jump | T-7th/5-10.75 |
| Tairyn Montgomery | Javelin | 9th/161-4 |
| Samantha Drop | 10,000m | 9th/34:14.66 |
| Marie Therese-Obst | Javelin | 12th/156-8 |
| Johannes Erm | Decathlon | ^4th/*8,020 |
| Karl Saluri | Decathlon | ^5th/#7,934 |
| Louisa Grauvogel | Heptathlon | ^7th/5,887 pts. |
| FRIDAY | ||
| Lynna Irby | 400m | 1st/!50.44 |
| Kendal Williams | 100m | 3rd/10.08 |
| Cejhae Greene | 100m | 6th/10.15 |
| Johannes Erm | Decathlon | ^4th/*8,020 |
| Karl Saluri | Decathlon | ^5th/#7,934 |
| Louisa Grauvogel | Heptathlon | ^7th/5,887 pts. |
^qualified with their scoring heading into Prelims with score included above; *personal best; #season best; ~stadium record; !school/meet/facility record & No. 5 on 2018 world list; $No. 3 on collegiate all-conditions, all-time list
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| Bulldog Qualifiers For Later Rounds At NCAA East Prelims | ||
| Name | Event | Prelims Finish/Mark |
|---|---|---|
| THURSDAY | ||
| Lynna Irby | 400m | 1st/*~50.77 |
| Cejhae Greene | 100m | 2nd/#10.11 |
| Kendal Williams | 100m | 3rd/10.17 |
| FRIDAY | ||
| Lynna Irby | 200m 1st Rd. | 2nd/$22.06 |
| Kendal Williams | 200m 1st Rd. | 6th/20.31 |
| Michael Nicholls | 110mH 1st Rd. | T-17th/13.91 |
| Tara Davis | 100mH 1st Rd. | 19th/13.26 |
Players Mentioned
Throws
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Jumps/Hurdles
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Distance
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Multi-Events
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Multi-Events
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Sprints
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High Jump
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Javelin
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Javelin
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Sprints
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