Fourteen T&F Dogs Declared All-Americans

May 26, 2020 | Track & Field

ATHENS, Ga. --- All fourteen Georgia track and field members who qualified and were invited to the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships have been declared All-Americans, according to an announcement from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in conjunction with the Division I Track & Field Executive Committee.

Normal policies dictate that All-America honors are awarded based on classifications of performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. First through eighth-place finishers are regularly deemed First Team All-Americans while ninth through 16^th-place finishers earn the distinction of Second Team All-Americans.

This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the indoor season before the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships began, all student-athletes listed on event official startlists will simply earn All-America honors rather than First or Second Team honors.

On the women's side, seniors Kayla Smith (pole vault), Amber Tanner (800-meter run), junior Jessica Drop (5000m), sophomore Titiana Marsh (triple jump), freshmen Julia Fixsen (pole vault), Anna Hall (pentathlon, high jump), Jasmine Moore (triple jump, long jump) and Shelby Tyler (high jump) had advanced to Nationals and will be named All-Americans.

For the men, senior Darius Carbin (high jump), junior Johannes Erm (heptathlon), sophomores Elija Godwin (400m), Karel Tilga (heptathlon) and freshmen Matthew Boling (200-meter dash) and Kyle Garland (heptathlon) will receive the honor.

These 14 Bulldogs were in Albuquerque, N.M., prior to the start of the NCAA Indoor Championships during the second week in March when all NCAA events were cut short due to the virus. At the time, the Georgia women were ranked fourth and the Bulldog men were ranked fifth in the latest USTFCCCA polls.

Smith, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., was already a First Team All-American during the 2017 outdoor season. Her fifth year in 2020 was turning into be her best year in the pole vault as she hit a fresh personal best of 14 feet, 4 inches, which was ranked 11^th nationally. After battling through multiple surgeries and rehabs/recoveries, she will now have a sixth year with UGA.

Tanner, a native of Brentwood, Tenn., was a scoring All-American at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships on the record-breaking Lady Bulldog 4x400m relay team. During her career, she has made the steady improvement from being a Southeastern Conference 800m qualifier, to an SEC 800m scorer, to the 2020 SEC 800m champion. Tanner had the nation's third-best 800m time entering Nationals.

Drop, a native of Durham, Conn., earned All-America honors in cross country in both 2017 and 2019 and was in the top eight at both the 2018 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships for another pair of certificates. The 2019 SEC Indoor Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year qualified 16^th in the field of 16 for the 5000m this year.

Marsh, a native of Chester, Va., punched her tickets to both NCAA Championships her first year in 2019. She advanced to her second straight indoor Nationals with the 15^th-best triple jump mark nationally.

Fixsen, a native of Shoreview, Minn., pole vaulted her way to a silver medal at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships last time she competed with the third-best mark in school history (14-7.50). Fixsen was going into the meet tied for sixth on the national list.

Hall, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., also earned a silver at her first conference meet in February after finishing more than 100 points in front of the third-place finisher in the pentathlon. Hall was ranked fifth nationally in the pent going into the NCAA Championships. She had also cleared 6-0.50 in the high jump this season and was ranked in the top five nationally.

Moore, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, was entering her first NCAA Championships ranked first in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump. She was the Lady Bulldogs' top scorer at this year's SEC Championships after winning the triple and earning runner-up honors in the long for 18 points and was a finalist for the USTFCCCA National Women's Field Athlete of the Year.

Tyler, a native of Noblesville, Ind., had qualified for her first NCAA Championships after reaching 5-11.50 during the season in the high jump. This situated her tied for sixth nationally going into Nationals.

Carbin, a native of San Jose, Ca., has earned three First Team All-America certificates during his Bulldog career and was the only senior qualified on the Bulldog men's squad. He reached 7-4.50 at the Orange & Purple Elite meet early in the indoor season and was positioned fifth on the national list.

Erm, a native of Tallinn, Estonia, was four-for-four on All-America certificates during his first two years in the multi-events. The defending NCAA decathlon champion outdoors became the No. 11 all-time collegiate performer in the heptathlon with his performance this year, which was the nation's top score in 2020.

Godwin, a native of Covington, Ga., shot to third on Georgia's all-time 400m list with his 45.96 that earned him third at the SEC Indoor Championships and had qualified for his first NCAA Championships. The 2019 SEC Outdoor SEC Co-Men's Freshman Runner of the Year had the country's seventh-best 400m time (45.96) this year.

Tilga, a native of Tartu, Estonia, was the country's second-ranked heptathlete behind Erm in his first indoor season with the Bulldogs. He was also in a battle with Erm and former Bulldog Maicel Uibo, among others, for a spot in the summer Olympics, which has now been postponed until next summer.

Boling, a native of Houston, Texas, entered into the week of the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships with the nation's fourth-fastest time in the 200m (20.66). He was the runner-up in the 200m at the SEC Championships and is already the school record holder in the event.

Garland, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., gave the Bulldogs a third heptathlete qualified for Nationals. He had the country's third-best score in the event and became the team's eighth straight winner in the combined events at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships with Erm and Tilga competing in individual open events.