2018-19 Track & Field Roster
Irby, Lynna
Lynna Irby
- Position:
- Sprints
- Height:
- 5-5
- Class:
- Sophomore
- High School:
- Pike High School
- Hometown:
- Indianapolis, Ind.
Bio
2019, 2018 NCAA First Team Indoor All-American (400 Meters)
2018 Bowerman Award Semifinalist
2018 USTFCCCA South Region Women's Outdoor & Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
2018 NCAA Outdoor Champion (400 Meters)
2018 SEC Outdoor Champion (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Outdoor All-American (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Outdoor All-American (400 Meters)
2018 SEC Indoor Champion (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Indoor All-American (200 Meters)
2019: Outdoor - Clocked the school’s ninth-best 100-meter dash time in history (11.40) at the Florida Relays to take 11th…Also led UGA to a second-place finish in the sprint medley relay with a 3:47.01 in Gainesville…Turned professional later during the regular season.
Indoor - Back in her sophomore year after an electrifying freshman campaign, Irby earned 2019 Indoor Women's Track Athlete of the Year honors from the USTFCCCA for the second year, helped the Bulldogs to nine points at the NCAA Championships and earned first team All-American honors in two events...Began with a fifth-place showing in the 400 meters, speeding to a time of 52.38 in the finals...Followed up with a leg on the record-breaking 4x400 meter relay team, which placed fourth with a time of 3:31.09...Took home gold at the SEC Indoor Championships, clocking 52.02 in the 400 meters while also leading the 4x400 team to a fifth place finish (3:31.97)...Earned her first individual event win of the season at the Husker Invitational, winning the 200 meters with a season-best time of 23.23...Earned SEC Runner of the Week (1.22.19) honors for her work in the 200 and 4x400 at the Clemson Invitational, placing second in the 200 (23.27) and first with the relay (3:32.50)...Opened her sophomore season with a second place finish in the 300 meters.
2018: Outdoor - Completed a phenomenal freshman year with her first NCAA championship in the 400 meters as well as a third-place finish in the 200 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which helped her become one of two freshmen among the 10 semifinalists for the Bowerman Award...She clocked the No. 2 mark in collegiate history (49.80) in the 400 meter finals, which was also a meet record, school record and world No. 3 time this season as she became Georgia’s first outdoor champion in the event, and fresh off the No. 7 mark all-time (50.11) in the prelims as well...Joined elite company when she claimed a bronze medal in the 200 meters with a time of 22.92, becoming the third Georgia woman alongside 200-meter titlists Debbie Ferguson and Gwen Torrence as first team outdoor All-Americans in the event...Finished with 16 points for the Bulldogs as the outdoor meet’s third place scorer...Named USTFCCCA South Region Outdoor Runner of the Year, a distinction she also received in the indoor season...Never lost a race in the 400 meters this season while continually improving her time, earning five total wins between the NCAA Outdoor Championships (49.80, 50.11q), NCAA East Prelims (50.44, 50.77q) and the Mt. SAC Relays (50.95)...Raced to the No. 3 wind-aided and No. 5 all-conditions mark in NCAA history in the 200 meters in horrid conditions at the NCAA East Prelims, speeding to a season-best time of 22.06 with a tailwind (2.4 m/s) in the event prelims...Joined Ferguson and Torrence once again by becoming the third Georgia woman to secure the SEC championship in the 200 meters, racing to a time of 22.25 for the No. 2 spot in school history behind Torrence and the No. 1 NCAA East Region qualifying mark...Was named SEC Women’s Runner of the Week (4/24/18) for her performance at the Mt. SAC Relays, in which she claimed first place in the 400 meters with the No. 2 NCAA East Region qualifying mark (50.95) and helped the Georgia 4x100 meter relay team to the No. 2 spot in school history with a time of 43.90...Opened the outdoor season by helping the sprint medley relay team to a fourth-place finish at the Texas Relays (3:48.51).
Indoor - Became the second Georgia female athlete ever to finish top three in two track events at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning third-place finishes in the finals of the 200 meters and the 400m for first team All-American honors in both events...Posted the best marks at NCAA Indoors in program history in both the 200m (22.55) and the 400m (50.87)...Earned the No. 1 NCAA qualifying mark in the 200m (22.66) and the No. 2 qualifying mark in the 400m (50.62)...Dominated the indoors slate as one of the nation’s premier newcomers, earning the USTFCCCA’s South Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year award along with All-SEC First Team honors in the 200m...Laid claim to her first SEC title with a previously world-leading time of 22.66 in the 200m at SEC Indoors...Pushed Kentucky’s Sydney McLaughlin, world leader in the 400m, to the last tenth of a second with a second-place finish at SEC Indoors in the 400m (50.62, No. 10 on all-time collegiate list)...Honored alongside KeturahOrji as one of 10 members of the indoor postseason watch list for the 2018 Bowerman Award; also named to the pre-NCAA and midseason watch lists...Earned six top 10 worldwide indoor marks this season: three in the 200m (No. 3, No. 4 x2), one in the 300m (No. 3) and two in the 400m (No. 5, No. 6), as well as four different top 3 all-time spots in UGA history (60m, 200m, 300m, 400m)...Named SEC Female Runner of the Week (Jan. 30) for her historic performance at the Razorback Invite, at which she first broke the school record in the 200m (22.96) and also won the 400m (51.48)...Recognized as USTFCCCA Women’s National Athlete of the Week (Jan. 9) for her winning debut as a Bulldog, in which she became the NCAA’s No. 7 all-time performer with the No. 10 all-time performance in the 300m (36.73) at the Orange & Purple Invite; also No. 3 worldwide this year...Moved to No. 3 in school history with a blazing 7.31 time in the 60m at the Tiger Paw Invite...One of 62 UGA student-athletes who received Dean's List honors in Fall 2017, earning a 3.50 GPA or higher.
High School: Finished first in the 400-meter dash (52.83) at 2017 New Balance Outdoors…Grabbed top honors in the 200m (23.62) and was fourth in the 60m (7.39) at 2017 New Balance Indoors…Took first place in the 400m (52.51) at 2016 New Balance Outdoors…Finished sixth in the 60m (7.40) at 2016 New Balance Indoors…Earned a silver medal in the 400m (51.39) at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland…Also ran in the World Junior prelims for the gold medal 4x100 relay team and ran a leg for the gold medal 4x400m relay team in the final…Made the 2015 World Youth team in both the 100m and 400m…Secured a silver medal in the 400m (51.79) at World Youth in Cali, Columbia, while also running on the mixed 4x400m relay that finished first…Named Indiana Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year for her last three years…Received the 2017 Indiana Sports Awards Athlete of the Year…Won the 100m, 200m and 400m state titles all four years in high school and was her team’s Most Valuable Player the last three years…Personal-best times of 7.39 (60m), 11.41 (100m), 23.41 (200m), 36.73 (300m) and 51.39 (400m)…Named Miss Track and Field and earned the Mental Attitude Award at Pike HS…Also played basketball as a freshman…Finished with a 3.7 GPA…Was a Student Ambassador for two years.
Personal: Born December 6, 1998…Daughter of Nakela Irby and Billie Young Jr…Majoring in Exercise and Sport Science.
2018 Bowerman Award Semifinalist
2018 USTFCCCA South Region Women's Outdoor & Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
2018 NCAA Outdoor Champion (400 Meters)
2018 SEC Outdoor Champion (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Outdoor All-American (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Outdoor All-American (400 Meters)
2018 SEC Indoor Champion (200 Meters)
2018 NCAA First Team Indoor All-American (200 Meters)
2019: Outdoor - Clocked the school’s ninth-best 100-meter dash time in history (11.40) at the Florida Relays to take 11th…Also led UGA to a second-place finish in the sprint medley relay with a 3:47.01 in Gainesville…Turned professional later during the regular season.
Indoor - Back in her sophomore year after an electrifying freshman campaign, Irby earned 2019 Indoor Women's Track Athlete of the Year honors from the USTFCCCA for the second year, helped the Bulldogs to nine points at the NCAA Championships and earned first team All-American honors in two events...Began with a fifth-place showing in the 400 meters, speeding to a time of 52.38 in the finals...Followed up with a leg on the record-breaking 4x400 meter relay team, which placed fourth with a time of 3:31.09...Took home gold at the SEC Indoor Championships, clocking 52.02 in the 400 meters while also leading the 4x400 team to a fifth place finish (3:31.97)...Earned her first individual event win of the season at the Husker Invitational, winning the 200 meters with a season-best time of 23.23...Earned SEC Runner of the Week (1.22.19) honors for her work in the 200 and 4x400 at the Clemson Invitational, placing second in the 200 (23.27) and first with the relay (3:32.50)...Opened her sophomore season with a second place finish in the 300 meters.
2018: Outdoor - Completed a phenomenal freshman year with her first NCAA championship in the 400 meters as well as a third-place finish in the 200 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which helped her become one of two freshmen among the 10 semifinalists for the Bowerman Award...She clocked the No. 2 mark in collegiate history (49.80) in the 400 meter finals, which was also a meet record, school record and world No. 3 time this season as she became Georgia’s first outdoor champion in the event, and fresh off the No. 7 mark all-time (50.11) in the prelims as well...Joined elite company when she claimed a bronze medal in the 200 meters with a time of 22.92, becoming the third Georgia woman alongside 200-meter titlists Debbie Ferguson and Gwen Torrence as first team outdoor All-Americans in the event...Finished with 16 points for the Bulldogs as the outdoor meet’s third place scorer...Named USTFCCCA South Region Outdoor Runner of the Year, a distinction she also received in the indoor season...Never lost a race in the 400 meters this season while continually improving her time, earning five total wins between the NCAA Outdoor Championships (49.80, 50.11q), NCAA East Prelims (50.44, 50.77q) and the Mt. SAC Relays (50.95)...Raced to the No. 3 wind-aided and No. 5 all-conditions mark in NCAA history in the 200 meters in horrid conditions at the NCAA East Prelims, speeding to a season-best time of 22.06 with a tailwind (2.4 m/s) in the event prelims...Joined Ferguson and Torrence once again by becoming the third Georgia woman to secure the SEC championship in the 200 meters, racing to a time of 22.25 for the No. 2 spot in school history behind Torrence and the No. 1 NCAA East Region qualifying mark...Was named SEC Women’s Runner of the Week (4/24/18) for her performance at the Mt. SAC Relays, in which she claimed first place in the 400 meters with the No. 2 NCAA East Region qualifying mark (50.95) and helped the Georgia 4x100 meter relay team to the No. 2 spot in school history with a time of 43.90...Opened the outdoor season by helping the sprint medley relay team to a fourth-place finish at the Texas Relays (3:48.51).
Indoor - Became the second Georgia female athlete ever to finish top three in two track events at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning third-place finishes in the finals of the 200 meters and the 400m for first team All-American honors in both events...Posted the best marks at NCAA Indoors in program history in both the 200m (22.55) and the 400m (50.87)...Earned the No. 1 NCAA qualifying mark in the 200m (22.66) and the No. 2 qualifying mark in the 400m (50.62)...Dominated the indoors slate as one of the nation’s premier newcomers, earning the USTFCCCA’s South Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year award along with All-SEC First Team honors in the 200m...Laid claim to her first SEC title with a previously world-leading time of 22.66 in the 200m at SEC Indoors...Pushed Kentucky’s Sydney McLaughlin, world leader in the 400m, to the last tenth of a second with a second-place finish at SEC Indoors in the 400m (50.62, No. 10 on all-time collegiate list)...Honored alongside KeturahOrji as one of 10 members of the indoor postseason watch list for the 2018 Bowerman Award; also named to the pre-NCAA and midseason watch lists...Earned six top 10 worldwide indoor marks this season: three in the 200m (No. 3, No. 4 x2), one in the 300m (No. 3) and two in the 400m (No. 5, No. 6), as well as four different top 3 all-time spots in UGA history (60m, 200m, 300m, 400m)...Named SEC Female Runner of the Week (Jan. 30) for her historic performance at the Razorback Invite, at which she first broke the school record in the 200m (22.96) and also won the 400m (51.48)...Recognized as USTFCCCA Women’s National Athlete of the Week (Jan. 9) for her winning debut as a Bulldog, in which she became the NCAA’s No. 7 all-time performer with the No. 10 all-time performance in the 300m (36.73) at the Orange & Purple Invite; also No. 3 worldwide this year...Moved to No. 3 in school history with a blazing 7.31 time in the 60m at the Tiger Paw Invite...One of 62 UGA student-athletes who received Dean's List honors in Fall 2017, earning a 3.50 GPA or higher.
High School: Finished first in the 400-meter dash (52.83) at 2017 New Balance Outdoors…Grabbed top honors in the 200m (23.62) and was fourth in the 60m (7.39) at 2017 New Balance Indoors…Took first place in the 400m (52.51) at 2016 New Balance Outdoors…Finished sixth in the 60m (7.40) at 2016 New Balance Indoors…Earned a silver medal in the 400m (51.39) at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland…Also ran in the World Junior prelims for the gold medal 4x100 relay team and ran a leg for the gold medal 4x400m relay team in the final…Made the 2015 World Youth team in both the 100m and 400m…Secured a silver medal in the 400m (51.79) at World Youth in Cali, Columbia, while also running on the mixed 4x400m relay that finished first…Named Indiana Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year for her last three years…Received the 2017 Indiana Sports Awards Athlete of the Year…Won the 100m, 200m and 400m state titles all four years in high school and was her team’s Most Valuable Player the last three years…Personal-best times of 7.39 (60m), 11.41 (100m), 23.41 (200m), 36.73 (300m) and 51.39 (400m)…Named Miss Track and Field and earned the Mental Attitude Award at Pike HS…Also played basketball as a freshman…Finished with a 3.7 GPA…Was a Student Ambassador for two years.
Personal: Born December 6, 1998…Daughter of Nakela Irby and Billie Young Jr…Majoring in Exercise and Sport Science.
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