Freshman Jayden Keys Jumps to SEC Title on Opening Day in College Station

Photo by: Kirk Meche

Freshman Jayden Keys Jumps to SEC Title on Opening Day in College Station

February 27, 2025 | Track & Field

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas --- Jayden Keys became the first Georgia track & field freshman to bring home a men's SEC title since 2009 with his victory in the long jump, highlighting a group of three men's scorers on day one of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships on Thursday.

Sophomore Micah Larry added a fourth-place finish in the long jump while junior Alon Rogow tied for fifth in the pole vault to tally points for the Bulldogs. The Georgia men sit in fifth place in the team standings with 17.5 points through one day of competition in College Station, Texas.

Fast Facts

Keys posted four lifetime bests en route to his first SEC title, recording a best mark of 7.92 meters/26 feet, 0 inches on this third attempt to shatter his old personal best by 0.20 meters. The native of Houston, Texas, became the first Georgia men's long jumper to capture an SEC title since Lester Benjamin in 1985 and is the first men's track & field freshman overall to earn gold since Torrin Lawrence in 2009. With the mark, Keys became the No. 3 performer in program history in his fourth collegiate meet.
Sophomore Micah Larry also collected points in the long jump, finishing just off the podium in fourth place with a mark of 7.84m/25-8.75 on his first attempt. The 2024 SEC outdoor long jump silver medalist added five points to Keys' 10, giving the Bulldogs 15 total points from the men's long jump alone.
Alon Rogow was the first Bulldog to put points on the board on Thursday, tying for fifth in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.20m/17-0.75 on his first attempt. The junior put 2.5 points on the board with the effort to kick off the scoring for the Georgia men in the field events.
Kaila Jackson posted a 23.20 in the 200-meter dash prelims to place seventh and qualify for Saturday's final. The time marked Jackson's second-fastest time of the season and puts her in prime position to score points for the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Ryan Olree clocked a personal-best time of 13:59.88 in the 5,000m to improve his No. 4 time in program history in the event. The sophomore placed 11^th overall in his second 5,000m race of the indoor season.
Jordan Fick and Maximus Tucker tallied 3,012 and 2,906 points, respectively, through four events of the heptathlon and sit in seventh and eighth place with three events remaining. Fick posted personal bests in both the 60m and the shot put while Tucker added an overall PR in the long jump and an indoor personal best in the shot put.
For full results from the SEC Indoor Championships, please visit: gado.gs/coa.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to the Fasken Indoor Track & Field Facility for day two of the SEC Championships on Friday. Fick and Tucker will compete in the final three events of the heptathlon beginning with the 60-meter hurdles at 1:30 p.m. ET with the pole vault to follow at 2:30 p.m. and the 1,000-meters concluding the event at 7:06 p.m.

Stephanie Ratcliffe (weight throw) will compete in Georgia's first field event at 2:30 p.m. while the sophomore trio of Brody Buffington, Jehlani Gordon, and Larry will open the track events in the 60-meter dash prelims at 5:50 p.m.

Where To Find Bulldogs News
Results and recaps from the Bulldogs' indoor 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.