Minichello Highlights Day One Of SEC Championships With Javelin Title

Thursday, May 11

Baton Rouge, LA

University of Georgia

SEC Outdoor Championships

Minichello Highlights Day One Of SEC Championships With Javelin Title

May 11, 2023 | Track & Field

Results-Thursday.pdf HeatSheets-Finals-800-400H-200.pdf

BATON ROUGE --- Graduate transfer Marc Minichello collected a javelin crown to highlight the opening day of the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium on Thursday.

Minichello made a 36-foot improvement between his fourth and fifth tosses in the javelin to clinch Georgia's 12^th SEC javelin title all-time.  Minichello, a Penn graduate, won his crown with the Bulldogs' 2009 SEC champion and Sulphur, La., native Chris Hill watching from the stands.

Following day one, the Georgia men tallied 18 points and lead while the Lady Bulldogs have scored three points and are in eighth place.  Through three events scored for both genders, Missouri (22) has the early edge for the women.

The Bulldogs also had an additional three scorers who finished in the top eight during day one: Alencar Pereira in the hammer throw (2^nd – 70.07 meters/229 feet, 10 inches), Erin McMeniman in the javelin (7^th– 49.06m/160-11) and Julia Harisay in the javelin (8^th – 48.45m/158-11).

Georgia also had four competitors punch their tickets to event finals.  Will Sumner (800 meters), Matthew Boling (200m), Kaila Jackson (200m) and Caleb Cavanaugh (400m hurdles).

The decathlon's collegiate record holder, Kyle Garland, flexed his muscle during the opening day of the dec with the No. 2 all-time collegiate day one score.  The Philadelphia, Pa., native posted two personal bests, including one that was a meet record, to score 4,626 points.  The nearest competitor, Mississippi State's Peyton Bair, has scored 4,263.

Garland's 4,660 points from day one of the 2022 USATF Combined Event Championships is the all-time collegiate day one best score.  His score on Thursday topped his previous SEC meet record for day one of 4,377 from the 2021 meet that he won.

When Do The Bulldogs Start Friday?: Garland begins his final five events of the decathlon (110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m) on day two at 12 p.m. ET.  Georgia's first open event on Friday is the men's shot put with Gavin Beverage aiming to score at 5:15 p.m.  The first open event on the track for the Bulldogs is the 100m hurdles with Bella Witt set to line up on the starting line at 6:15 p.m.

Where To Catch The SEC Championships: The ESPN broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien, John Anderson and Larra Overton during the meet coverage.

SEC Network+ / SEC Network info:
Day Two – Friday, May 12
SEC Network+ - 12:30-5:30 PM: http://gado.gs/ajd
SEC Network+ - 6:00-9:30 PM: http://gado.gs/ajd

Day Three – Saturday, May 13
SEC Network+ - 3:00-4:30 PM: http://gado.gs/ajd
SEC Network - 6:00-10:00 PM

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend, please visit: http://gado.gs/ajc

The Lowdown: Minichello, a native of West Pittston, Pa., started with a foul in the javelin and had a top mark of 68.42m/224-5 through four rounds to place himself in sixth.  However, the defending NCAA champion lifted the javelin 79.50m/260-10 on his second to last attempt to win by nearly four feet.  He is the first Bulldog champion in the event since Brian Moore went back-to-back in 2010-11.

Pereira, a native of Brazil who is now a three-time SEC scorer in the hammer, finished with his second consecutive runner-up finish in the hammer throw.  Going at least 220 feet on all four of his legal tosses, Pereira worked up to a mark of 70.07m/229-10 on his fifth attempt to edge the third-place finisher by four inches.

McMeniman, a native of Dracut, Mass., and graduate transfer from Brown, started her javelin series with the longest toss of her competition at 49.06m/160-11.  This earned her two points during the first SEC outdoor meet of her career.  Her Ivy League graduate transfer training partner, Julia Harisay, scored for the second year in a row thanks to her second try.  Harisay's mark of 48.45/158-11 gave her an eighth-place finish.

There were also four qualifiers on the first day of action:

Sumner clocked the fastest time during the 800m prelims to punch his ticket to the final with the No. 6 time in school history (1:47.64). He will race in the final on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
Boling is the defending champion in the 200m and will be racing in the final yet again on Saturday at 8:25 p.m. after clocking the day's sixth-fastest time (20.36).
Jackson won the sixth heat of the women's 200m and was fourth overall after crossing the line in 22.83. Jackson will line up in the final on Saturday at 8:35 p.m.
Cavanaugh sped to the nation's third-best time this year (49.04) to win the 400m hurdle prelims with a time that ranks No. 3 on Georgia's all-time list (best since 2008).

In the decathlon, Garland won his heat and was the only competitor faster than 11 seconds in the 100m.  His 10.57, which was .01 from his lifetime best, topped the overall field and gave him an early seven-point lead.  Garland's 10.56 came earlier this year after he started the dec at the Mt. SAC Relays but did not finish the full 10 events.

In the second event, Garland was the fourth long jumper to take off and quicky set a meet record.  He soared 7.87m/25-10 behind a 3.8 m/s wind to collect his second straight victory.  Garland took only a single attempt and completed the long jump up 107 points overall.

Garland worked up to a third and final toss of 15.65m/51-4.25 in the shot put to win by more than four feet.  This bumped his overall lead up to 188 points headed into the fourth event.  Garland finished atop the field yet again in the high jump with a clearance at 2.10m/6-10.75 to keep his lead rolling.

During the day's dec finale, Garland blazed to a personal record 47.89 in the 400m to go 5-for-5 in victories during the first half of the combined events.  He completed Thursday up 363 points with the final five events waiting on Friday.

Georgia concluded its day by Dominique Mustin rocketing to the second fastest 400m hurdle time in school history.  The Texas A&M transfer ran a 57.09 and missed the final by two spots in 11^th.

Also of note, Keshaun Black (20.82) and Christopher Morales Williams (20.98) each set personal records in the 200m with sub-21 finishes to take 14^th and 16^th, respectively.  In the women's 200m, Kenondra Davis was bumped one spot away from the final in the seventh and final heat after registering a 23.00 for 10^th.

Where To Find Bulldogs News: Results and recaps from the SEC Outdoor 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.

SEC Scorers
Name                            Event                   Mark (Place)
Marc Minichello M. Javelin   79.50m/260-10 (1^st)
Alencar Pereira M. Hammer throw 70.07m/229-10 (2^nd)
Erin McMeniman   W. Javelin            49.06m/160-11 (7^th)
Julia Harisay                 W. Javelin            48.45m/158-11 (8^th)

SEC Qualifiers
Name                            Event                   Mark (Place)
Caleb Cavanaugh M. 400mH    *49.04 (1^st)
Will Sumner                 M. 800m    1:47.64 (1^st)
Kaila Jackson              W. 200m 22.83 (4^th)
Matthew Boling M. 200m 20.36 (6^th)

Decathlon
Kyle Garland                100m     LJ   SP                        HJ   400m             Day1
10.57     $*7.87m/25-10    15.65m/51-4.25 2.10/6-10.75  *47.89           ^4,626 pts.

*personal record; $meet record; ^No. 2 all-time collegiate dec day one score
110mH                Discus                  PV              Javelin                 1500m                 TOTAL