Track Travels to Tom Jones Memorial, Virginia Challenge

Friday, April 16

Gainesville, Fla.

All Day

University of Georgia

Tom Jones Memorial

Track Travels to Tom Jones Memorial, Virginia Challenge

April 15, 2021 | Track & Field

Tom Jones Memorial Schedule Virginia Challenge Schedule Tom Jones - Day 1 Heat Sheets Tom Jones - Day 2 Heat Sheets

ATHENS, Ga. --- Representatives from the Bulldog track and field teams traveled to both the Tom Jones Memorial and the Virginia Challenge on Thursday as Georgia continues to prepare for the outdoor postseason.

Thirty-two Bulldogs are entered in the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Fla., in a meet that runs on Friday and Saturday.  Six distance runners are slated to compete at the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday and Saturday.  In addition, a number of Georgia team members will remain in Athens and train through the weekend.

When Do The Dogs Start: Graduate transfer Jonathan Tharaldsen and sophomore Gavin Beverage are slated to begin the action for the Bulldogs at the Tom Jones Memorial in the shot put at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday.  Junior Anna Marian Block and freshman Charlotte Augenstein will be the first Lady Bulldogs to compete when they take the track in the 1500 meters at 6 p.m.

Sophomore Wesley John will start the meet for the Bulldogs at the Virginia Challenge in the 1500m at 3:40 p.m. on Friday.  The first female runner on the track will be senior Jessica Drop in the 5000m at 8:10 p.m.

What Dogs Are Competing: At the Tom Jones meet, graduate transfers Julia Hall, Tharaldsen, seniors Halle McClintock, Marie-Therese Obst, Kayla Smith, Amber Tanner, Chelsea Zoller, Jack Bradley, Destiny Jackson, Delano Dunkley, Ahmed Magour, juniors Grace Clements, Courtney Long, Alec Collins, Alencar Pereira, Block, Elija Godwin, Clay Pender, sophomores Mia Anderson, Gracie Jauch, Kaeli Thompson, Beverage, Curtis Borden, Nicolas Fontova, Sara Bailey, Matthew Boling, Caleb Cavanaugh, Tyler Fox and freshmen Zachary Roe, Charlotte Williams, Augenstein and KC Heron are scheduled to compete.

During the Virginia Challenge, seniors Jessica Drop, Samantha Drop, Michael Hans, junior Sam Bowers and sophomores Nicholas Yanek and Wesley John are entered in a range of middle to long-distance races.

Live Results: For live results of the Tom Jones Memorial, please visit: http://gado.gs/6u6

For live results of the Virginia Challenge, please visit: http://gado.gs/6u4

Kyprianou's Comments: "This weekend presents a great opportunity for our sprinters and throwers to go against some outstanding competition in nice weather and setting at the University of Florida," said Bulldog head coach Petros Kyprianou.  "We have decided to split the team in three sections again so we can maximize our potential during the coming postseason.  Virginia will serve as an excellent opportunity for our distance kids to go out and get some good times at a beautiful facility designed for good distance running, especially later in the day under the lights.  Our teams have done well before at both Florida and Virginia so I'm expecting to see some hot sprinting races and long throws as well as fast times in Charlottesville.  The rest of the group and some of our field event heavy hitters will remain in Athens and train after a very successful weekend last week at home."

Honors Roll In: Bulldog junior Karel Tilga was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Men's Athlete of the Week as well as the Southeastern Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Week following his record-breaking performance in the decathlon at the Spec Towns Invitational last weekend in Athens.  Karel broke the school record and surged to No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list after scoring an Olympic standard of 8,484 points.

Also, sophomore Jasmine Moore was named the SEC Co-Women's Field Athlete of the Week, sophomore Anna Hall was named the SEC Women's Newcomer of the Week and sophomore Matthew Boling was named the SEC Men's Newcomer of the Week after their performances on their home track.

Glimpse At Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: This pair of meets mark the fifth and sixth of seven scheduled regular season outdoor meets over five weekends, including 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.  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.