Augenstein, O’Neal Collect Victories At Yellow Jacket Invitational

Friday, March 15

Atlanta, Ga.

TBA

University of Georgia

Yellow Jacket Invitational

Augenstein, O’Neal Collect Victories At Yellow Jacket Invitational

March 16, 2024 | Track & Field

ATLANTA --- The Georgia track and field teams opened their outdoor seasons at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Saturday, picking up a pair of wins and a slew of top-five finishes by the distance runners at the Georgia Tech-hosted meet.

Charlotte Augenstein posted the fifth-fastest time in school history in the 800-meter run (2:06.14) to collect her first win of the outdoor campaign. Earlier in the day, Gracie O'Neal triumphed in her first collegiate 5,000-meter run, crossing the finish line in 17:08.19 to secure Georgia's first victory of the outdoor season.

Georgia's teams combined for 10 top-five performances in total, including seven on the women's side and three by the men's squad.

Full Results: For results throughout the weekend, please visit: http://gado.gs/bkk

The Lowdown: Coming out of an opening heat which featured five Georgia runners, Augenstein raced to her first 800m win of the outdoor season in 2:06.14. The senior added her name to Georgia's all-time top-10 list with the performance, unseating Anna Marian Block for No. 5 in school history. Junior Kieley Gayle finished with a time of 2:11.10 to help the Lady Bulldogs sweep the top two positions in the event. Sophomore Nina Ouellette also earned a top-10 spot with a personal best 2:14.60 and an eighth-place finish.

O'Neal opened Georgia's day by using a late push in the final 400 meters to shoot to victory in the 5,000m with a time of 17:08.19. The junior was one of three Lady Bulldogs to finish in the top 10 in the event with sophomores Lorel Golden (17:22.90) and Katherine Law (17:43.25) claiming third and eighth place, respectively. For all three athletes, Saturday marked their first time competing at the 5,000m distance outdoors.

On the men's side, freshman Diego Santiago-Cardona earned a ninth-place finish in the 5,000m, crossing the finish line in 14:55.36 in his outdoor debut. Coming into the final lap in 15^th, Santiago-Cardona clocked the fastest 400-meter split of the day (1:04.40) to climb six places for his first-collegiate top-10 finish. Junior Cooper Bocko also competed in the event, posting a time of 14:56.38 to finish 13^th.

In her outdoor debut, freshman Bella Brick took runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 11:14.10. Classmate Ella Kepple finished just three seconds behind at 11:17.65 to place fourth.

Sophomore Ethan Nordman also earned a top-five placement in the steeplechase, shaving 10 seconds off his personal best for a time of 9:29.41 and fifth place in the men's race.

In the men's 1500m, freshman Ryan Olree opened his collegiate outdoor career with a time of 3:50.22, placing fifth. Graduate student Wesley John finished two spots back in seventh, crossing the finish line in 3:53.25 to come within two seconds of his personal best. Rounding out the top 10 was freshman Logan Dingman, who posted a time of 3:53.85 in his collegiate track debut.

Ouellette led the way for the Lady Bulldogs in the 1500m with a 4:36.18 for a 14^th-place finish.

Junior Zack Truitt clocked an 800m time of 1:51.02 to place fourth as Georgia's top finisher in the event. Freshman Andrew Balogh finished a second behind in eighth place (1:52.27) in his first collegiate outdoor meet.

Georgia closed its day in the 4x400-meter relays, highlighted by a runner-up finish on the women's side. The squad of Augenstein, Lily Cincola, Ouellette, and Simone Rojas clocked a time of 3:51.30 for second place while the men's quartet of Truitt, Olree, Dingman, and
John Jessup placed sixth (3:23.78).

What's Next For The Bulldogs?: The outdoor opener marked the first of nine scheduled regular season outdoor meets over seven weekends. Next up will be the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational in Miami, Fla., on March 23.

Where To Find Bulldogs News: 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 X/Instagram at @UGATrack.