Track Posts National Championship Success Across The Globe

Sunday, July 9

Eugene, OR

University of Georgia

USA Championship

Track Posts National Championship Success Across The Globe

July 09, 2023 | Track & Field

EUGENE, Ore. --- Georgia completed a weekend of national championships across the world, including the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., with a series of highlights Sunday.

Freshman Will Sumner, who announced his intentions to turn professional this weekend, finished fifth in the 800-meter final in Oregon with a two-lap time of 1:47.41.  Hanging in eighth with 300m to go, Sumner made a push in the straightaway leading up to the finish line to run down three of the competitors in the field.

In the under-20 portion of the meet, fellow freshman Haley Tate left Hayward Field with sixth place in the 400m final after running a 53.59.

Fifth-year senior and All-American Titiana Marsh completed her meet with a 14^th-place finish in the long jump (6.09 meters/19 feet, 11 ¾ inches).  The sixth-place finisher in the triple jump on Friday completed her Georgia career by qualifying for 10 consecutive NCAA Championships dating back to 2019.

Those athletes who finish in the top three and have the qualifying standards (time or mark) for their events or the necessary world rankings will be eligible to be selected for Team USA as the team is built for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Aug. 19-27.

On Saturday, Kaila Jackson shot out of lane three in the Under-20 100m to win with an 11.15.  Fourth in the 100m at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Jackson was the Southeastern Conference indoor and outdoor Female Freshman Runner of the Year and now adds a USA title to her resume after earning four First Team All-America certificates this year.

Day three also saw 2022 NCAA champion Marc Minichello repeat his bronze medal finish from 2022 to take third in the javelin in the senior portion of the meet.  The Bulldog transfer who has another year left at Georgia sent his fifth attempt 78.07m/256-1 and will now be expected to compete at the World Athletics Championships for Team USA.

In addition, Matthew Boling rocketed to a personal record 45.17 to take sixth in the 400m final.  This is the second-fastest time in UGA history behind teammate Elija Godwin's 44.34 clocked at last year's USATF Championships.  While Boling will not run as an individual in the 400m at the Worlds, he is expected to get a shot for the 4x400m relay thanks in part to his showing on Saturday.

Also of note, Alencar Pereira finished with a top hammer throw mark of 69.85m/229-2 to win the Brazilian National Championships on Saturday.  Ana da Silva also captured a Brazilian crown after reaching a shot put distance of 17.48m/57-4.25 on her sixth and final toss.

Another gold at the Cyprus National Championships came from Elena Kulichenko in the high jump.  Kulichenko went over the bar at 1.90m/6-2.75 to grab top honors.

At the Jamaican National Championships, former Lady Bulldog NCAA champion Chanice Porter locked down a silver medal  in the long jump.  The 2016 graduate who is now a UGA Athletic Association employee reached a distance of 6.72m/22-0.75 to have the second-longest mark of the competition.

Sunday's action concluded the four-day meet that started Thursday at Hayward Field.  The USATF Under-20 Championships, featuring Jackson and fellow freshman Bulldog Haley Tate, was also held at the facility over the weekend.

On Friday, Kyle Garland scored 8,198 points to finish fourth in the decathlon.  While finishing in the top three is one requirement to earn a spot on Team USA for the World Athletics Championships, competitors must also have scored the qualifying standard (8,460) since July 31, 2022.  Garland is one of three U.S. competitors with the standard score necessary for the World Championships and the official selections will be announced at a later date.

Georgia had its first qualifier for Worlds from a former Lady Bulldog on Thursday.  Keturah Orji, who won eight NCAA titles during her Georgia career (2015-18) and was the 2018 Bowerman winner, earned the silver medal in the triple jump after winning the last six USATF Outdoor titles.  Orji had already hit the standard necessary in the triple in August of 2022.

Where To Find Bulldog News: News and updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams are posted on georgiadogs.com and are also always located on Twitter/Instagram at @UGATrack.