Promising Season For Track Ends In Albuquerque

Fourteen Bulldogs checked into their hotel in Albuquerque, N.M., last Tuesday and had arrived at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Thursday for their final workout before the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. With the official NCAA pre-meet press conference less than an hour away, an announcement was first made that the press conference had been cancelled. Shortly after that notice, news spread through social media across the busy track, runways and warm-up areas that the NCAA meet had been officially cancelled.

Dejected groups, including Georgia's teams, coaches and staff, stared in disbelief before heading to the facility's exits while teams' operations representatives scrambled to begin a flurry of emails and calls to figure out meals, hotels and flights with the new schedule.

Petros Kyprianou assumed head coaching duties for the Bulldogs during the 2015-16 school year after arriving in Athens as an assistant in 2008. The head coach of the Estonian national team for the upcoming 2020 Olympics has transformed Georgia into one of the, if not the, most competitive collegiate track and field program in the country.

The Georgia women arrived at Nationals ranked fourth nationally. Having won the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships, the Lady Bulldogs had finished in the top 10 at the meet six out of the last seven years, including a runner-up finish in 2017 and a trio of third-place finishes.

The Bulldog men had carried a fifth-place ranking into the NCAA meet. Georgia had finished in the top 10 for three consecutive years, including an indoor program best third-place finish in 2018 and with a school record 35.5 points in 2017.

This year, Georgia featured only three seniors out of the 14 qualified student-athletes in a group that included five true freshmen. Three of those who traveled to Albuquerque (Kyle Garland – heptathlon, Amber Tanner – 800 meters, Jasmine Moore – triple jump) had captured Southeastern Conference individual titles on Feb. 28-29.

Garland was also the SEC Indoor Men's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, Moore was the league's Women's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year and Matthew Boling was the Men's Freshman Runner of the Year. In addition, Moore earned the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Indoor Women's Field Athlete of the Year award.

Here is a breakdown of the Bulldogs going into last week's NCAA Championships:
WOMEN
Jr. Jessica Drop – Qualified 16^th in the field of 16 for the 5000m; 2019 SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year had previously scored at that distance in 2018 for pivotal points during her team's run to the NCAA team title.

Fr. Julia Fixsen – Pole vaulted her way to a silver medal at the SEC Championships last time out with the third-best mark in school history (14 feet, 7 ½ inches); qualified for the NCAA meet with her performance and was going into the meet tied for sixth on the national list.

Fr. Anna Hall – Also earned a silver at her first conference meet after finishing more than 100 points in front of the third-place finisher in the pentathlon; was ranked fifth nationally in the pent going into the NCAA Championships.

So. Titiana Marsh – Advanced to her second straight indoor Nationals with the 15^th-best triple jump mark nationally; was seeking redemption in the event after fouling out in 2019 and has had one of the most quietly potent upsides all year.

Fr. Jasmine Moore – Entered her first NCAA Championships ranked first in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump; was the Lady Bulldogs' top scorer at the SEC Championships after winning the triple and earning runner-up honors in the long.

Sr. Kayla Smith – Her fifth year was turning into be her best year in the pole vault as she hit a fresh personal best of 14-4; multiple surgeries and rehabs/recoveries had lined up for potential big points in what could have been her final indoor and outdoor seasons; now, she has the potential for a sixth year.

Sr. Amber Tanner – Arrived on campus in the fall of 2016 as a prospective heptathlete, transitioned to the 400m hurdles and then ended up in the 800m; made the improvement from an SEC 800m qualifier, to SEC 800m scorer, to SEC 800m champion in 2020; was set up to enter Nationals as a potential gold, silver or bronze medalist with the nation's third-best time.

Fr. Shelby Tyler – One of the nation's top prep high jumpers in 2019 had qualified for her first NCAA Championships; field not as deep in her event this year at Nationals and experience would have been a beneficial one as she develops.

MEN
Fr. Matthew Boling – One of the country's most electric sprinters, proving his validity with a runner-up performance in the 200m at the SEC Championships; school record holder was only improving with only four indoor 200m races ever run in his life.

Sr. Darius Carbin – Two-time NCAA indoor scorer was the only senior for the Bulldog men headed into Nationals; had put together a series of 7-foot-plus performances in the high jump this season despite sitting out SECs with a minor injury.

Jr. Johannes Erm – Defending NCAA decathlon champion outdoors had already scored in the heptathlon at the last two NCAA Indoor Championships; while he competed in a couple open training events at SECs, he had become the No. 11 all-time collegiate performer in the heptathlon with his performance for UGA earlier this year.

RFr. Kyle Garland – With Erm and teammate Karel Tilga resting for NCAAs, he became the eighth straight SEC heptathlon champion for the Bulldogs in late February; redshirted 2019 and was prepared to give the Bulldogs yet another national scoring threat in the multi-events.

So. Elija Godwin – Shot to third on Georgia's all-time 400m list with his 45.96 that earned him third at the SEC Indoor Championships; had arrived at the indoor postseason even stronger than he was prior to his javelin accident that ended his freshman outdoor season.

So. Karel Tilga – The country's second-ranked heptathlete is in a four-way battle with Erm and two other former Bulldogs (Maicel Uibo, Karl Saluri) for the three spots in the decathlon at the 2020 Olympics; another scoring threat for Georgia in the combined events.

University of Georgia Athletics

Players Mentioned

Matthew Boling

Darius Carbin

Jessica Drop

Johannes Erm

Julia Fixsen

Kyle Garland

Elija Godwin

Anna Hall

Titiana Marsh

Jasmine Moore

Karl Saluri

Kayla Smith

Amber Tanner

Karel Tilga

Shelby Tyler

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