Track Wins Five Events, Sets Two National Records At Battle On The Bayou

Friday, March 29

Baton Rouge, LA

TBA

University of Georgia

Battle on the Bayou

Track Wins Five Events, Sets Two National Records At Battle On The Bayou

March 30, 2024 | Track & Field

2024 Battle on the Bayou - Results

BATON ROUGE, La. --- Wins piled up, national records fell, and numerous program top-10 marks were set as the Georgia track and field teams concluded competition at the Battle on the Bayou on Saturday.

In a runner-up effort in the shot put, junior thrower Kelsie Murrell-Ross broke the Grenadian national record with a throw that sailed 18.33 meters/60 feet, 1.75 inches. On the track, sophomore sprinter Christopher Morales Williams set a new Canadian under-20 national record in the 400-meter dash with a winning time of 45.18.

The Bulldogs left Baton Rouge, La., with five total wins as Elena Kulichenko (high jump), Aaliyah Butler (400m), Micah Larry (100m), and Riyon Rankin (high jump) joined Morales Williams with top marks in their respective events.

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend from the Battle on the Bayou, please visit: https://gado.gs/bna

The Lowdown: Murrell-Ross shattered the Grenadian national shot put record with a mark of 18.33m/60-1.75 on her fifth attempt, finishing second in Baton Rouge. The native of St. David's, Grenada, surpassed her previous personal best by an impressive 2.25 meters for the best mark of her career. The junior posted the No. 2 time in Georgia history, also moving into second on this season's NCAA performance list. Murrell-Ross now holds both the indoor and outdoor shot put national records for Grenada.

In his first 400m dash of the season, Morales Williams broke the Canadian under-20 national record with a blazing time of 45.18 to win in Baton Rouge. The sophomore moved into second in school history with the personal-best time, also clocking the fastest time in the NCAA this season. The Vaughan, Ontario, native posted the fastest time by a Bulldog since Elija Godwin clocked a school record time of 44.34 at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships.

Kulichenko cleared the high jump bar at 1.93m/6-4 on her first attempt, breaking the meet and facility records while becoming the No. 18 all-time collegiate performer en route to her second straight win the high jump. The junior moved into a tie for second on Georgia's all-time top-10 list, matching Leontia Kellenou's mark set at the 2015 SEC Championships. Kulichenko holds the nation's top high jump mark this season and sits just ¼ inch short of Georgia's program record.

Georgia also brought home a high jump victory on the men's side as Rankin cleared a height of 2.20m/7-2.50 on his second attempt. Saturday marked Rankin's first time competing for the red and black outdoors.

Sophomore sprinter Butler dashed to victory in her first 400m of the season, clocking a personal best 51.22 at LSU. Butler improved her all-time No. 3 mark in school history while shooting to No. 2 on the NCAA outdoor performance list. Classmate Haley Tate moved from ninth to eighth in the Georgia record books with her time of 53.22, finishing 11^th overall. Freshman Sydney Harris clocked a time of 53.85 to place 13^th in her first collegiate outdoor 400m dash.

Alexander Kolesnikoff marked his outdoor season debut with a runner-up performance in the shot put. The graduate student launched his sixth and final attempt 19.39m/63-7.50 to enter the Georgia record books with the No. 8 mark in school history. Kolesnikoff's throw placed him at No. 4 in the NCAA this year. Fellow shot putter Gavin Beverage took fifth with a season-best mark of 18.26m/59-11.

Following his top collegiate mark in the long jump on Friday, Larry clocked a time of 10.09 (+3.3) to win the 100m dash on Saturday. Classmate Jehlani Gordon also posted a top-10 finish in the event, crossing the finish line in 10.26 to tie for ninth.

The women's 4x400m relay team of Tate, Butler, Dominique Mustin, and Harris matched the No. 7 time in school history (3:34.79) to place fourth in Georgia's final event of the day.

Freshman Zavien Wolfe made his outdoor triple jump debut, recording a mark of 14.84m/48-8.25 on his final jump to place third.

In the 800m, Kieley Gayle clocked a time of 2:09.79 to finish 21^st.

What's Next For The Bulldogs?: The multi-event athletes will return to Coral Gables, Fla., for the second and final time this season on April 5-6 to compete at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational. The contest will mark the fifth of nine scheduled regular season outdoor meets over seven weekends.

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.