Jackson Ties School Record To Qualify For NCAA T&F 60m Final

Photo by: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson Ties School Record To Qualify For NCAA T&F 60m Final

March 08, 2024 | Track & Field

BOSTON, Mass. --- Lady Bulldog sophomore Kaila Jackson streaked across the 60-meter dash finish line with a school record time to advance to the final at the NCAA Indoor Championships at The Track at New Balance in Boston Friday.

Jackson, a native of Redford, Mich., took the track first in the 60m semifinal and left with a finals qualification by equaling her previous school record set at this meet last year.  Jackson returned to the track in the 200m semifinal and matched Georgia's No. 2 all-time to put herself in a second final on Saturday.

Sophomore Christopher Morales Williams (men's 400m), Jackson (women's 60m, 200m) and sophomore Aaliyah Butler (women's 400m) made Georgia a perfect 4-for-4 in advancing races on the meet's opening day.

Arkansas and Northern Arizona are tied for the lead on the men's side with 18 points with North Carolina and Oklahoma State tied for third with 13.  On the women's side, Florida (18), Ole Miss (16) and Alabama and Oklahoma State (11) are situated in the top three.  The first points of the meet came in the men and women's weight throw on Thursday night.

When Do The Dogs Start?: All of Georgia's qualifiers in five field events will compete on Saturday.  Junior Elena Kulichenko and true freshman Riyon Rankin will begin the women's high jump and the men's high jump, respectively, at 1 p.m. on day two.  Morales Williams will be on the track first for the Bulldogs on Saturday in the 400m final at 4:20 p.m.

Where To Catch The NCAA Championships: Live streaming of the NCAA meet will air on ESPN+ (subscription site) starting on Friday and continuing through Saturday.  The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien, Larra Overton and John Anderson.

A tape delay special of the Championships will air on ESPNU on Monday at 9 p.m.

Saturday (11:30.a.m.): http://gado.gs/bhw
Saturday (6:55 p.m.): http://gado.gs/bhy

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

The Lowdown: Jackson shot off the start line in lane six to finish .002 ahead of the nearest competition in her 60m heat.  Jackson's 7.07 ended up putting her second overall after both groups had run by just .004 behind Jacious Sears of Tennessee.  In 2023, Jackson first set a school record with a 7.07 in the prelims before earning runner-up honors in the final with a 7.08.  She will race in the 60m final Saturday at 7:10 p.m.

Butler, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., punched her ticket to her first national individual final with the third-fastest time of her career (51.46).  Racing in the same heat as national leader Amber Anning of Arkansas, Butler locked in the second spot through the break and continued there to take second in her heat.  She will race in the 400m final Saturday at 7:20 p.m.

Morales Williams, a native of Vaughan, Ontario, won the third heat and was fourth overall in the 400m semifinal round with a 45.88.  Morales Williams got bumped as he tried to surge into the lead at the break but recovered from his second position in the final straightaway to win the heat with a qualifying time.  He will race in the 400m final at 4:20 p.m. Saturday.

Approximately an hour and 20 minutes after the 60m semis, Jackson took the track again in the 200m.  This time, she rocketed out of the blocks in the opening heat to take second in the group and fourth overall.  This tied Lynna Irby's No. 2 mark in school history set at the 2018 NCAA Championships and passed Jackson's former career best of 22.69 set at last year's Nationals.  Jackson will return to the track in the 200m final on day two at 7:50 p.m.

Where To Find Bulldog News: Results and recaps from the NCAA 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 X/Instagram at @UGATrack.

Day 1 Qualifiers
Name                                                  Event                           Finish (Mark/Time)
Kaila Jackson                                     W. 60m   2^nd ($7.07)
Aaliyah Butler                                     W. 400m 3^rd (51.46)
Christopher Morales Williams M. 400m   4^th (45.88)
Kaila Jackson W. 200m 4^th (!22.55)
$school record ; !personal best