Distance Dawgs To Compete At Raleigh Relays Starting Thursday

ATHENS, Ga. --- Five Bulldogs are set to open their outdoor seasons at the Raleigh Relays on Thursday and Friday as they compete in the distance events on the campus of NC State.

The meet marks the second weekend of competition outdoors for Georgia this season. The Bulldogs opened their outdoor season by splitting up between the Yellow Jacket Invitational and the Black and Gold Invitational last Friday and Saturday.

Who's The Competition?: The Bulldogs will join a large group of institutions in attending the Raleigh Relays, including four other Southeastern Conference Teams. Along with Georgia, the SEC will be represented by Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.

When Do The Bulldogs Start?: The Bulldog men will have representatives in the 1,500-meter run and the 10,000-meter run on Thursday. Joseph Minecci and Zack Truitt will compete in the 1,500m at 4:15 p.m. followed by Ryan Olree and Conner Rutherford in the 10,000m at 9:25 p.m. Izzy Yonas will compete in the women's 10,000m on Friday at 9:20 p.m.

Where To Catch The Action: There will be ESPN streaming coverage of the Raleigh Relays starting at 4:30 p.m. each day.

ACC Network Extra Info:
Raleigh Relays – Day One – Thursday, March 27
ACCNX – https://gado.gs/cw8

Raleigh Relay – Day Two – Friday, March 28
ACCNX – https://gado.gs/cw9

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend from the Raleigh Relays, please visit: https://gado.gs/cw7.

What Bulldogs Are Competing?: Minecci, Olree, Rutherford, Truitt, and Yonas will serve as Georgia's five representatives in Raleigh this weekend.

LAST WEEK'S FLASHBACK – Yellow Jacket Invitational/Black and Gold Invitational (March 21-22): Georgia opened the 2025 outdoor season last Friday and Saturday, splitting up between the Yellow Jacket Invitational and the Black and Gold Invitational. Javelin thrower Lianna Davidson broke the school record with the No. 2 performance in NCAA history in her first meet as a Bulldog, recording a throw of 62.59 meters/205 feet, 4 inches to lead a Georgia 1-2-3 sweep in the event at the Yellow Jacket Invitational. Freshman Manuela Rotundo moved into third in Georgia history and 11^th in the NCAA all-time with her runner-up throw of 61.13m/200-6 while Erin McMeniman placed third with a mark of 53.05m/174-0. Other winners included Stephanie Ratcliffe (hammer throw – 66.48m/218-1) in Atlanta and Michelle Smith (400mH – 55.98), Ervin Pearson (400m – 45.42), Reign Redmond (100m – 11.35), and the men's 4x100-meter relay team of Micah Larry, Brody Buffington, Jehlani Gordon, and Shemar Chambers (39.33) in Orlando.

Outdoor SEC Honors: The Bulldogs came away from their first meet weekend of the season with three SEC weekly honors. Davidson was named SEC Women's Field Athlete of the week following her javelin performance at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, where she recorded a school-record mark of 62.59m/205-4 to win the event with the No. 2 mark in NCAA history. Smith earned SEC Women's Freshman of the Week honors with her winning time of 55.98 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Black and Gold Invitational, making her the No. 3 performer in program history. Fellow freshman Ervin Pearson was named SEC Men's Co-Runner of the Week after clocking a nation-leading time of 45.42 to win the 400m at the Black and Gold Invitational. He moved into sixth in Georgia history outdoors with his performance.

Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: Following the Bulldogs' time in Raleigh, Georgia will head to Gainesville, Fla., to compete at the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 4-5. The multi-event athletes will compete at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, on April 11-12. Georgia will split squads for the second time this season as the Distance Dawgs compete at the Wake Forest Invitational on April 17-18 while the remainder of the team returns to Gainesville for the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 18-19. Georgia will wrap up the outdoor regular season at the one-day Tiger Track Classic on April 26.

The SEC Outdoor Championships will kick off postseason competition for the Bulldogs on May 15-17 in Lexington, Ky. Georgia will then compete at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 28-31 before wrapping up the outdoor season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14.

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 & field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.

Distance Dawgs To Compete At Raleigh Relays Starting Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brody Buffington

Shemar Chambers

Lianna Davidson

Jehlani Gordon

Micah Larry

Erin McMeniman

Joseph Minecci

Ryan Olree

Ervin Pearson

Stephanie Ratcliffe

Reign Redmond

Manuela Rotundo

Conner Rutherford

Michelle Smith

Zack Truitt

Izzy Yonas

University of Georgia Athletics