Bulldogs Continue Postseason at NCAA East Prelims Starting Wednesday

Wednesday, May 28

Jacksonville, Fla.

University of Georgia

NCAA East Regionals

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Bulldogs Continue Postseason at NCAA East Prelims Starting Wednesday

May 27, 2025 | Track & Field

Schedule Start Lists

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The Georgia track & field teams are set to continue postseason competition on Wednesday-Saturday as they compete in the NCAA East Prelims at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida this week.

The top-ranked women and the fifth-ranked men will be represented by a combined 34 athletes in 23 events over the course of the four-day meet. Each individual event will feature 48 competitors from the East Region while 24 programs will compete in each relay.

The NCAA West Prelims, held in Bryan-College Station, Texas, will take on the same format as the East Prelims and will take place from Wednesday through Saturday. The top 12 competitors in each event from both regions will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., from June 11-14.

When Do The Bulldogs Start?: The NCAA East Prelims will begin with the men's first round on Wednesday followed by the women's opening round on Thursday. The men will then compete in the quarterfinal round on Friday followed by the women on Saturday. All field events will feature one round in Jacksonville to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships while the running events will hold first round and quarterfinal races in order to set the field for Eugene.

Moustafa Alsherif will kick off the men's field events for the Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday when he competes in the javelin throw. The first men's running event will take place at 6 p.m. later that day with Jayden Keys competing in the 110-meter hurdles.

On Thursday, Stephanie Ratcliffe will look to punch her ticket to nationals at 10 a.m. competing in the hammer throw. The 100-meter dash quartet of Sanaa Frederick, Kaila Jackson, Karsen Phillips, and Reign Redmond will open the women's running events at 6 p.m. as they look to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals.

Where To Catch The NCAA East Prelims: There will be live ESPN coverage of all four days of the NCAA East Prelims. The meet can be live streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

ESPN+ Info:
Wednesday (6 p.m.) – ESPN+
LINK: https://gado.gs/d93
Thursday (6 p.m.) – ESPN+
LINK: https://gado.gs/d94
Friday (5 p.m.) – ESPN+
LINK: https://gado.gs/d95
Saturday (5 p.m.) – ESPN+
LINK: https://gado.gs/d96

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend from the NCAA East Prelims, please visit: https://gado.gs/d97

Coach Caryl's Comments: "The unique thing about this meet is that you have to finish in the top 12 to earn a spot in Eugene," Georgia head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "We have worked extremely hard since August for this moment, and I'm excited to see that work pay off. It is a grind to get from the beginning of indoor season to this point, so I know we have a big group ready to reap the benefits of their training. GO DAWGS!"

What Bulldogs Are Competing?: For the women's team, 17 competitors are set to compete across 11 events at the NCAA East Prelims. Kaila Jackson (100m, 200m), Reign Redmond (100m), Karsen Phillips (100m), Sanaa Frederick (100m, 200m), Aaliyah Butler (400m), Dejanea Oakley (400m), Haley Tate (400m), Michelle Smith (400mH), Elena Kulichenko (high jump), Skylynn Townsend (triple jump), Danah Nembhard (triple jump), Kelsie Murrell-Ross (shot put), Stephanie Ratcliffe (hammer throw), Manuela Rotundo (javelin), Lianna Davidson (javelin), and Erin McMeniman (javelin) are all expected to compete individually in Jacksonville. A combination of Jackson, Redmond, Phillips, Frederick, and Oakley will compete on the 4x100-meter relay team while a combination of Butler, Oakley, Tate, Smith, and Sydney Harris will run the 4x400m relay.

For the men, 17 athletes will compete across 12 events in Jacksonville. Individual competitors representing the Georgia men include Micah Larry (100m, long jump), Brody Buffington (100m, 200m), Jehlani Gordon (100m), Will Floyd (400m), Ervin Pearson (400m), Shemar Chambers (400m), Xai Ricks (400m), Ryan Olree (10,000m), Jayden Keys (110mH, long jump), Riyon Rankin (high jump), Eddie Kurjak (high jump), Ian Hodge (high jump), Nikolai van Huyssteen (pole vault), Alon Rogow (pole vault), Alex Kolesnikoff (shot put), and Moustafa Alsherif (javelin). Athletes expected to compete in the relays include Larry, Buffington, Gordon, and Floyd in the 4x100m and a combination of Floyd, Pearson, Chambers, Ricks, and London Costen in the 4x400m.

LAST WEEK'S FLASHBACK – SEC Outdoor Championships (May 15-17): The Bulldogs are coming off a historic weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championships, where the women earned their third SEC title in program history and first since 2006 and the Bulldog men earned their best finish since 1940 with a runner-up performance in Lexington, Ky. The women tallied 103 points while the men posted 87 points, with the two teams combining for six event wins, 17 podium finishes, and 26 scoring performances over the three-day meet.

Georgia's individual champions at the meet included Lianna Davidson (javelin), Stephanie Ratcliffe (hammer throw), Jayden Keys (long jump), Aaliyah Butler (400m), Riyon Rankin (high jump), and the men's 4x400m relay team of Shemar Chambers, Will Floyd, and Xai Ricks.

National and Conference Outdoor Honors: Georgia carries a plethora of Southeastern Conference and national honors into the SEC Outdoor Championships. The Bulldogs came away from their first meet weekend of the season with three SEC weekly honors. Lianna 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 62.59 meters/205 feet, 4 inches to win the event with the No. 2 mark in NCAA history. Additionally, Davidson was named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week for her performance in Atlanta.

Michelle 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.

The Bulldogs took home another three SEC honors after the Florida Relays on April 4-5. Rotundo was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week and SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week after becoming the No. 2 all-time collegiate javelin thrower with her school-record mark of 64.17m/210-6. Combined with Davidson's National Athlete of the Week award two weeks prior, it was just the second time in NCAA Division I award history that a program had different student-athletes earn the award in consecutive weeks.

Fellow javelin thrower Moustafa Alsherif earned SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors with his runner-up performance in Gainesville, Fla. He recorded a fifth-attempt mark of 79.72m/261-6 to record the top collegiate finish at Florida in his Bulldog debut. Alsherif ranks third in program history in the event.

Smith earned her second SEC Women's Freshman of the Week award with her school-record and nation-leading time of 54.56 in the 400-meter hurdles. Georgia's 29-year-old school record fell with her performance as the Frederiksted, St. Croix, native won the event by over a second.

Alsherif earned his second SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week award following his victory in the javelin at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 18. The senior recorded a top mark of 80.52m/264-2 to become the No. 25 all-time collegiate performer while taking the NCAA lead in the event. The performance improved Alsherif's mark as the No. 3 performer in school history.

Three Bulldogs left the Tiger Track Classic with SEC awards for their performances on April 26. Riyon Rankin was named SEC Men's Field Athlete after jumping to the NCAA lead with his victory in the high jump (2.27m/7-5.25). Ervin Pearson earned SEC Men's Freshman of the Week following his runner-up performance in the 400m, posting a personal best time of 45.32 to move to 10^th nationally and fifth in Georgia history. Stephanie Ratcliffe recorded the best throw of her Georgia career (69.69m/228-7) to win the hammer throw with the No. 3 mark on the NCAA list this season and take home SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.

Smith earned her third SEC Women's Freshman of the Week honor following the LSU Invitational on May 3. At the meet, she nearly surpassed her own school record time in the 400m hurdles, clocking a 54.62 to post the top collegiate finish while placing second overall in Baton Rouge.

On the academic side, Ratcliffe was named SEC Outdoor Track & Field Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the conference office on May 14. Her award marked the fourth time in program history that a Bulldog woman earned the accolade.

Dawgs In The Top 10: Heading into the NCAA East Prelims, 16 Bulldog competitors are ranked in the top 10 nationally in their respective events.

For the women:
400m – 1^st – Butler (49.44)
Javelin – 1^st – Rotundo (64.17m/210-6)
Javelin – 2^nd – Davidson (63.79m/209-3)
400m – 3^rd – Oakley (50.35)
4x400m Relay – 3^rd – Smith, Oakley, Tate, Butler (3:24.85)
Hammer – 3^rd – Ratcliffe (70.72m/232-0)
400mH – 4^th – Smith (54.56)
High Jump – T-4^th – Kulichenko (1.89m/6-2.25)
Shot Put – 7^th – Murrell-Ross (18.00m/59-0.75)
Triple Jump – 9^th – Townsend (13.50m/44-3.50)

For the men:
High Jump – 1^st – Rankin (2.29m/7-6)
Javelin – 3^rd – Alsherif (80.52m/264-2)
400m – 7^th – Floyd (44.93)
4x400m Relay – 4^th – Chambers, Floyd, Ricks, Pearson (3:02.06)
Long Jump – 7^th – Keys (7.95m/26-1)
Shot Put – 10^th – Kolesnikoff (20.09m/65-11)

A Glimpse At The 2024 NCAA East Prelims: The Bulldogs qualified 19 individuals for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a combined 18 events at the 2024 NCAA East Prelims, which were held in Lexington, Ky. Those athletes joined Ella Rush, who had already qualified for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon, in punching their tickets to Eugene for the season finale. Georgia came away from Lexington last year with four regional titles, which were won by Kulichenko (high jump – 1.84m/6-0.50), Butler (400m – 50.30), the women's 4x400m relay team of Butler, Kimberly Harris, Sydney Harris, and Tate (3:26.06), and Rankin (high jump – 2.17m/7-1.50).

Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: Competitors who finish in the top 12 in their respective events at the NCAA East Prelims this weekend will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where they will wrap up the outdoor season 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 and field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.