Track Opens Outdoor Season At Georgia Tech

Friday, March 19

Atlanta, Ga.

All Day

University of Georgia

Yellow Jacket Invitational

March 18, 2021 | Track & Field

Meet Schedule Start Lists

ATHENS, Ga. --- Fresh off a pair of top-five national team finishes indoors, the Bulldog track and field teams return to work in their outdoor opener on Friday and Saturday at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta.

The Competition: Boston College, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Samford, South Carolina State and Western Carolina are expected to join Georgia and the Yellow Jackets at the meet.

There will be no spectators allowed at the meet because of COVID-19 concerns.

When Do The Dogs Start: A number of Bulldogs will take the George C. Griffin Track on Friday, beginning with the men's hammer throw (junior Alencar Pereira) at 12:30 p.m.  The women will start with the hammer after the men and freshman Charlotte Cattermole-Williams and sophomore Mia Anderson are slated to compete.

Action will start on Saturday with the women's high jump, pole vault and discus at 12 p.m. along with the men's triple jump.  The first Bulldog competing will be graduate transfer Julia Hall in the 400m.  Hall, who is the older sister of Georgia's 2021 Southeastern Conference pentathlon champion and All-American Anna Hall, will be making her debut in the red and black.

What Dogs Are Competing: On the women's side, Julia Hall, seniors Samantha Drop, Destiny Jackson, Halle McClintock, Marie-Therese Obst, Amber Tanner, Chelsea Zoller, junior Grace Clements, sophomores Anderson, Sara Bailey, Anna Marian Block and Cattermole-Williams are scheduled to make the trip to Georgia Tech.

For the men, graduate transfer Jon Tharaldsen, seniors Jack Bradley, Michael Hans, Justes Nance, Nate Reichard, juniors Sam Bowers, Alec Collins, Clay Pender, Pereira, sophomores Gavin Beverage, Curtis Borden, Chase Condra, Tyler Fox, Wesley John, Labo Oke and freshmen KC Heron and Zachary Roe are slated to compete in the outdoor opener

Kyprianou's Comments: "The much anticipated outdoor season is upon us and our student-athletes are excited to finally get a chance to compete under the sun!" said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou.  "While our NCAA indoor people will take a needed break, we have a very powerful group of team members who have been patiently waiting for their chance to showcase their talents.  I look forward seeing this group of amazing Bulldogs represent the 'G' and help us in our pursuit of a national championship outdoors.  Go Dawgs!"

Since 2020 Was Canceled, What Happened In 2019: The entire 2020 outdoor season was canceled before it started following the pandemic outbreak last spring.  In 2019, the Georgia men turned a ninth-place showing at the SEC Outdoor Championship to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  Four Bulldogs scored in six events, including two returners (senior Johannes Erm, decathlon national champion; senior Darius Carbin, tied for seventh in the high jump).  School record holder Denzel Comenentia posted one of the most impressive showings for any Bulldog all-time by earning runner-up honors in the shot put and fifth in both the hammer and discus.  The Lady Bulldogs were 10^th at SECs and then tied for 66^th at Nationals, thanks to scoring in the long jump.

Who Is New Outdoors: While the Bulldogs demonstrated how potent their lineups were indoors, here is a look at notable members of Georgia's teams who will be competing for the first time outdoors in 2021 when competition begins on Friday:

WOMEN
Cattermole-Williams: A native of Clitheroe, England, she won the hammer (4kg) at the 2019 Under-20 English Athletics Championships with a personal record of 206 feet, 2 inches
Sophomore Julia Fixsen: Won this year's SEC indoor pole vault title after taking second in 2020 with a personal record of 14-7.50
Sophomore Anna Hall: Won this year's SEC indoor pentathlon and became the No. 4 all-time collegiate performer in the event after scoring 4,590 earlier in 2021
Julia Hall: Older sister of Anna who completed her undergraduate career at Michigan where she had a career-best 400m time of 55.52 outdoors and was a key relay leg
Sophomore Jasmine Moore: Two-time SEC indoor triple jump champion with a personal-best mark of 45-10 who also was an All-American in the long jump
Graduate transfer Asya Reynolds: Completed her undergraduate career at Michigan State where she was the 2019 Big Ten heptathlon champion and competed at that year's NCAA Outdoor Championships
Senior Amber Tanner: Won the 2020 SEC indoor 800m crown with the country's third-best time (2:03.02) and is currently No. 2 in the school's outdoor record books
Shelby Tyler: Two-time NCAA indoor qualifier in the high jump with a Georgia personal best of 5-11.50

MEN
Sophomore Matthew Boling: Fresh off earning three First Team All-America certificates indoors (200m, 4x400m relay, long jump), including Georgia's first NCAA 200m title to become the No. 5 all-time collegiate performer (20.19).
Carbin: A three-time scoring All-American and 2017 SEC indoor high jump champion who owns the 10^th-best outdoor mark in school history at 7-3
Sophomore Kyle Garland: National runner-up in the heptathlon at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships to become the No. 4 all-time collegiate performer (6,200 points)
Senior Ahmed Magour: Redshirted in 2019 while recovering from an injury, he is expected to make his long-awaited debut for the Bulldogs after being a finalist at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, qualifying for the 2016 Olympics and sporting a personal and Qatar national record of 279-7 in the javelin
Pereira: Big 10 indoor weight throw champion for Nebraska in 2020, he won the 2019 NJCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer with a meet record toss of 230-4
Tharaldsen: Had the country's fourth-longest indoor shot put effort in 2020 after going 67-3.25 for Minnesota and advancing to the NCAA Championships

Glimpse At Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: The outdoor opener marks the first of six scheduled regular season outdoor meets over five weekends, including the Spec Towns Invitational (April 9-10) and the fourth-annual Torrin Lawrence Memorial (April 30-May 1) in Athens on the Spec Towns Track.

The SEC Championships will arrive on May 13-15 in College Station, Texas., with the NCAA East Prelims scheduled for May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla.  The 2021 NCAA Championships are in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12 (also in Oregon in 2022).  Historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon has undergone a $270 million renovation since the meet was last there in 2018.  That ended a six-year stretch in the facility since the University of Texas played host to the 2019 meet.

How To Keep Up With The Dogs: Results and recaps from the Bulldogs' outdoor season 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.