University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, February 25
Birmingham, Ala.
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University of Georgia
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SEC Indoor Championships
Five Scorers, School Record Highlights Day One Of SEC Track
February 25, 2022 | Track & Field
COLLEGE STATION, Texas --- Georgia's squads combined to have five scorers and set a school record during the opening day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, on Friday.
The day concluded with KC Heron, Caleb Cavanaugh, Clay Pender and Sam Bowers passing the baton to a school record en route to fourth-place honors in the distance medley relay. The foursome's time of 9:35.97 dropped the Bulldogs' finish of 9:40.26 from the 2017 SEC meet to No. 2 on the all-time list.
Briefly jogging away in the middle of the event to qualifying in the 60m, junior Matthew Boling scored UGA's first points after earning a silver medal in the long jump. Posting her second top-four performance in the event in as many years, senior Titiana Marsh glided to a season best 6.35 meters/20 feet, 10 inches in the long jump to take fourth place.
Senior Alencar Pereira's first attempt in the weight throw was his best attempt as the native of Brazil finished fifth to add more points. In the pole vault, freshman Nikolai van Huyssteen made the best of his first league meet by grabbing the eighth and final scoring spot.
Through four of seven events in the heptathlon, junior Kyle Garland left Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium with a 427-point lead thanks to his 3,590 points scored. His performance was highlighted by winning the final three events. Garland's day one score topped his previous meet record of 3,454 from last year's meet.
Garland arrived in College Station with the second-best score in the NCAA and SEC this year behind Arkansas' Ayden Owens. Owens is not competing at SECs as he prepares for the NCAA meet in two weeks.
The Bulldogs have captured the last nine straight titles in the heptathlon, including the 2020-21 championships from Garland. Only former Bulldog Garrett Scantling has collected three hep titles (2013, 2015-16).
Georgia also had one qualifier as Boling advanced in the 60m.
Where They Stand: The fourth-ranked Georgia men have 18 points and are tied for fourth place. The Lady Bulldogs are tied for 10th with five points through a combined 10 scoring events on day one.
Live Results: For results throughout the weekend, please visit: gado.gs/8kq
Saturday's Start: Garland begins the final three events of the heptathlon (60-meter hurdles, pole vault, 1000m) at 11 a.m. to begin day two for the Bulldogs. Junior Shelby Tyler and freshman Elena Kulichenko start Saturday for the women in the high jump at 2:15 p.m. For the Georgia men, sophomore Gavin Beverage is slated to compete in the shot put at 3 p.m.
Coach Caryl's Comments: "Today was a rather tough day," said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "We are encouraged by having five scorers and a qualifier in a meet of this caliber, but it's also a huge reminder about how elite the SEC is. Our goal was to accumulate as many personals bests as possible and to score in a variety of events and I'm proud of a number of our people who succeeded in those categories. I am looking forward to how we respond (Saturday)."
The Lowdown: The Bulldogs' final five points of Friday arrived during the distance medley relay around 9:30 p.m., which was the finale to a day that started at 12:30 p.m. Heron started his first league meet by running the 1200m leg and handed off to Cavanaugh, who posted the fastest 400m leg (46.45) of the race. From there, Pender ran the four laps of the 800m in 1:48.52 (also the meet's fastest leg at his distance) to move into the lead spot before handing the baton off for the final time to Bowers. Bowers flew down the final straightaway to hold on to fourth place.
Boling, a Houston, Texas, native competing in his home state, qualified for the long jump final after sliding a 7.77m/25-6 jump in the middle of two fouls in the first three rounds. His opening attempt in the final measured 7.90/25-11 and earned him second palce, which was a two-spot improvement from his 2021 finish.
Marsh, a native of Chester, Va., worked her way up to bronze medal position in the sixth round after recording a fair and season best long jump of 6.35m/20-10. She slipped to fourth as the competition concluded and will have another scoring oportunity when the triple jump arrives on Saturday.
Pereira lifted the weight 20.95m/68-8.75 on his first attempt and that effort was strong enough to give him fifth-place honors. This also jumped him up two spots from his finish last year at the meet.
Van Huyssteen, who hails from Paarl, South Africa, was clean through his first two clearances before soaring over the bar at 5.15m/16-10.75 on his third and final try. This performance earned the Bulldogs another point on Friday.
Georgia also had a single qualifier on the first day. Boling took a quick break from the long jump to run in the 60m prelims and came away with the fastest qualifying time. He ran a 6.59, which improved his No. 2 spot in the school record books.
A number of Bulldogs also locked down their best performances in a red and black jersey. Junior Brandee Presley, who joined the Lady Bulldogs this season after transferrng from Ole Miss, finished with the fastest 60m of her brief UGA career to miss the final by one spot. Presley blazed to a 7.35 to take ninth in the prelims with the seventh-best time in school history.
While the Lady Bulldogs did not register any points in the weight throw, redshirt sophomore Elsie Igberaese improved her No. 9 spot in the school record books and junior Ana da Silva had the longest throw of her brief Georgia career. Igberaese watched her second attempt travel 19.13m/62-9.25 to finish 12th. Da Silva, who is ranked 10th nationally in the shot put and will compete in the event on Saturday, also posted a Georgia personal best of 17.29m/56-8.75 to take 16th.
Senior Halle McClintock also battled for a persronal best in the 800m during her final SEC indoor meet. McClintock was fourth in her heat and 12th overall after knocking out her four laps in 2:07.94, which surged her from No. 10 on UGA's all-time top-10 list to No. 8.
In the men's 400m, Cavanaugh continued to upgrade his career best in the 400m to 47.09 to take 15th in the prelims. Junior Sara Bailey also trimmed four seconds off of her 5000m personal best to register a 16:51.90 for 17th place.
Both competitors who can the 5000m for Georgia completed the day with the fastest times of their career. Junior Chase Condra (14:32.70) and sophomore Zachary Roe (14:38.61) completed their laps in 15th and 16th, respectively.
During the men's 200m, senior Delano Dunkley, who was running in his second prelim of the day, went .01 faster than his 2021 time with a 21.26 to take 17th.
Garland began his second hepatathlon of the season by registering the second-best 60m time of the year and of his career. He won the second group with a 6.93 for 907 points and was trailing the leader by 40 points. Garland surged into the overall lead by 52 points with his season best in the hep long jump. He opened with a mark of 7.46m/24-5.75 before narrowly missing on a pair of fouls.
In the shot put, Garland began his series with matching marks of 15.68m/51-5.50 to surge into the event's lead. Then he concluded his three throws with an effort of 16.02m/52-6.75, extending his lead to 296 points. Garland's first three events were all the second-best performances of his career in the hep.
Garland, who did not have a single clean height, wrapped up his first four events by winning his third consecutive event with a mark of 2.11m/6-11. He flirted with earlier exits after posting two misses at 2.02m/6-7.50, at 2.05/6-8.75 and then at 2.08m/6-9.75. However, Garland posted a first attempt clearance at his final height to add 28 more points. He finished day one distanced 427 points away from the nearest competitor (Auburn's John Murray).
Where To Find Bulldog News: Results and recaps from the SEC Indoor Championships 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.
Day 1 Scorers
Name Event Finish (Mark/Time)
Matthew Boling M. long jump 2nd (7.90m/25-11)
M. Distance Medley Relay 4th (~9:35.97)
KC Heron, Caleb Cavanaugh, Clay Pender, Sam Bowers
Titiana Marsh W. long jump 4th (6.35m/20-10)
Alencar Pereira M. weight throw 5th (20.95m/68-8.75)
Nikolai van Huyssteen M. pole vault 8th (5.15m/16-10.75)
~school record
Day 1 Qualifier
Matthew Boling 60m 1st (*6.59)
*UGA personal best
Heptathlon Day 1 Scores
Name 60m LJ SP HJ Day 1
Kyle Garland 6.93 ^24-5.75 16.02m/52-6.75 2.11m/6-11 $3,590
$SEC meet record; *personal record in multi-events, ^season best in multi-events
The day concluded with KC Heron, Caleb Cavanaugh, Clay Pender and Sam Bowers passing the baton to a school record en route to fourth-place honors in the distance medley relay. The foursome's time of 9:35.97 dropped the Bulldogs' finish of 9:40.26 from the 2017 SEC meet to No. 2 on the all-time list.
Briefly jogging away in the middle of the event to qualifying in the 60m, junior Matthew Boling scored UGA's first points after earning a silver medal in the long jump. Posting her second top-four performance in the event in as many years, senior Titiana Marsh glided to a season best 6.35 meters/20 feet, 10 inches in the long jump to take fourth place.
Senior Alencar Pereira's first attempt in the weight throw was his best attempt as the native of Brazil finished fifth to add more points. In the pole vault, freshman Nikolai van Huyssteen made the best of his first league meet by grabbing the eighth and final scoring spot.
Through four of seven events in the heptathlon, junior Kyle Garland left Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium with a 427-point lead thanks to his 3,590 points scored. His performance was highlighted by winning the final three events. Garland's day one score topped his previous meet record of 3,454 from last year's meet.
Garland arrived in College Station with the second-best score in the NCAA and SEC this year behind Arkansas' Ayden Owens. Owens is not competing at SECs as he prepares for the NCAA meet in two weeks.
The Bulldogs have captured the last nine straight titles in the heptathlon, including the 2020-21 championships from Garland. Only former Bulldog Garrett Scantling has collected three hep titles (2013, 2015-16).
Georgia also had one qualifier as Boling advanced in the 60m.
Where They Stand: The fourth-ranked Georgia men have 18 points and are tied for fourth place. The Lady Bulldogs are tied for 10th with five points through a combined 10 scoring events on day one.
Live Results: For results throughout the weekend, please visit: gado.gs/8kq
Saturday's Start: Garland begins the final three events of the heptathlon (60-meter hurdles, pole vault, 1000m) at 11 a.m. to begin day two for the Bulldogs. Junior Shelby Tyler and freshman Elena Kulichenko start Saturday for the women in the high jump at 2:15 p.m. For the Georgia men, sophomore Gavin Beverage is slated to compete in the shot put at 3 p.m.
Coach Caryl's Comments: "Today was a rather tough day," said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "We are encouraged by having five scorers and a qualifier in a meet of this caliber, but it's also a huge reminder about how elite the SEC is. Our goal was to accumulate as many personals bests as possible and to score in a variety of events and I'm proud of a number of our people who succeeded in those categories. I am looking forward to how we respond (Saturday)."
The Lowdown: The Bulldogs' final five points of Friday arrived during the distance medley relay around 9:30 p.m., which was the finale to a day that started at 12:30 p.m. Heron started his first league meet by running the 1200m leg and handed off to Cavanaugh, who posted the fastest 400m leg (46.45) of the race. From there, Pender ran the four laps of the 800m in 1:48.52 (also the meet's fastest leg at his distance) to move into the lead spot before handing the baton off for the final time to Bowers. Bowers flew down the final straightaway to hold on to fourth place.
Boling, a Houston, Texas, native competing in his home state, qualified for the long jump final after sliding a 7.77m/25-6 jump in the middle of two fouls in the first three rounds. His opening attempt in the final measured 7.90/25-11 and earned him second palce, which was a two-spot improvement from his 2021 finish.
Marsh, a native of Chester, Va., worked her way up to bronze medal position in the sixth round after recording a fair and season best long jump of 6.35m/20-10. She slipped to fourth as the competition concluded and will have another scoring oportunity when the triple jump arrives on Saturday.
Pereira lifted the weight 20.95m/68-8.75 on his first attempt and that effort was strong enough to give him fifth-place honors. This also jumped him up two spots from his finish last year at the meet.
Van Huyssteen, who hails from Paarl, South Africa, was clean through his first two clearances before soaring over the bar at 5.15m/16-10.75 on his third and final try. This performance earned the Bulldogs another point on Friday.
Georgia also had a single qualifier on the first day. Boling took a quick break from the long jump to run in the 60m prelims and came away with the fastest qualifying time. He ran a 6.59, which improved his No. 2 spot in the school record books.
A number of Bulldogs also locked down their best performances in a red and black jersey. Junior Brandee Presley, who joined the Lady Bulldogs this season after transferrng from Ole Miss, finished with the fastest 60m of her brief UGA career to miss the final by one spot. Presley blazed to a 7.35 to take ninth in the prelims with the seventh-best time in school history.
While the Lady Bulldogs did not register any points in the weight throw, redshirt sophomore Elsie Igberaese improved her No. 9 spot in the school record books and junior Ana da Silva had the longest throw of her brief Georgia career. Igberaese watched her second attempt travel 19.13m/62-9.25 to finish 12th. Da Silva, who is ranked 10th nationally in the shot put and will compete in the event on Saturday, also posted a Georgia personal best of 17.29m/56-8.75 to take 16th.
Senior Halle McClintock also battled for a persronal best in the 800m during her final SEC indoor meet. McClintock was fourth in her heat and 12th overall after knocking out her four laps in 2:07.94, which surged her from No. 10 on UGA's all-time top-10 list to No. 8.
In the men's 400m, Cavanaugh continued to upgrade his career best in the 400m to 47.09 to take 15th in the prelims. Junior Sara Bailey also trimmed four seconds off of her 5000m personal best to register a 16:51.90 for 17th place.
Both competitors who can the 5000m for Georgia completed the day with the fastest times of their career. Junior Chase Condra (14:32.70) and sophomore Zachary Roe (14:38.61) completed their laps in 15th and 16th, respectively.
During the men's 200m, senior Delano Dunkley, who was running in his second prelim of the day, went .01 faster than his 2021 time with a 21.26 to take 17th.
Garland began his second hepatathlon of the season by registering the second-best 60m time of the year and of his career. He won the second group with a 6.93 for 907 points and was trailing the leader by 40 points. Garland surged into the overall lead by 52 points with his season best in the hep long jump. He opened with a mark of 7.46m/24-5.75 before narrowly missing on a pair of fouls.
In the shot put, Garland began his series with matching marks of 15.68m/51-5.50 to surge into the event's lead. Then he concluded his three throws with an effort of 16.02m/52-6.75, extending his lead to 296 points. Garland's first three events were all the second-best performances of his career in the hep.
Garland, who did not have a single clean height, wrapped up his first four events by winning his third consecutive event with a mark of 2.11m/6-11. He flirted with earlier exits after posting two misses at 2.02m/6-7.50, at 2.05/6-8.75 and then at 2.08m/6-9.75. However, Garland posted a first attempt clearance at his final height to add 28 more points. He finished day one distanced 427 points away from the nearest competitor (Auburn's John Murray).
Where To Find Bulldog News: Results and recaps from the SEC Indoor Championships 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.
Day 1 Scorers
Name Event Finish (Mark/Time)
Matthew Boling M. long jump 2nd (7.90m/25-11)
M. Distance Medley Relay 4th (~9:35.97)
KC Heron, Caleb Cavanaugh, Clay Pender, Sam Bowers
Titiana Marsh W. long jump 4th (6.35m/20-10)
Alencar Pereira M. weight throw 5th (20.95m/68-8.75)
Nikolai van Huyssteen M. pole vault 8th (5.15m/16-10.75)
~school record
Day 1 Qualifier
Matthew Boling 60m 1st (*6.59)
*UGA personal best
Heptathlon Day 1 Scores
Name 60m LJ SP HJ Day 1
Kyle Garland 6.93 ^24-5.75 16.02m/52-6.75 2.11m/6-11 $3,590
$SEC meet record; *personal record in multi-events, ^season best in multi-events
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Throws
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Sprints/Jumps
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Distance
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Sprints
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Distance
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Sprints
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Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Distance
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Throws
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High Jump
/ Track & Field
Jumps
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Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
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Throws
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Sprints
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Distance
/ Track & Field
High Jump
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
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