Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds

Media

Photos (0)
View
Videos (39)
View
News (116)
View
Blogs (0)
View
 

Folders

 

 

Georgia makes a run at NCAA title - NCAA D1 Indoor Championships 2015

Published by
DyeStatCOLLEGE.com   Mar 8th 2015, 4:37am
Comments

Georgia makes a run at NCAA title

Published by Adam Schneider on March 7th, 2015

The Georgia women lost the 2014 NCAA indoor title by 3 1/2 points. The only surprising performance was a rough 800 meter semifinal race by #2 ranked Megan Malasarte (finished fourth outdoors). A decent semifinal and a good run in the final by Megan would have won the title, but then again many teams have similar stories. Under the guidance of successful coaching veteran Wayne Norton, Georgia will challenge again.

This year Georgia added high school star and World Junior competitor Keturah Orji. Last year multis and jumps assistant Petros Kyprianou guided his jumps and combined event athletes to a Georgia record five NCAA individual titles (four women's and one men's title). Under the guidance of Kyprianou, both combined events double champion Kendell Williams and Orji have pr'd in the long jump and Orji has already set the US junior record in the triple jump (45-10 1/2). Orji is ranked #1 on the collegiate level.

Kendell Williams in her sophomore season will only compete in the Pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Last year she broke the US Junior Record twice and set a World Junior Record with a score of 4639 points. She won two NCAA titles in the combined events and won a World Junior title in the 100 meter Hurdles, 12.89. This year she has scored her second most points and PR’d in 60 meter Hurdles, Long Jump and Shot Put. She has a chance to break the American Record in the Pentathlon just set by Sharon Day-Monroe at the US Indoor Championships (4809 points).

Cypriot sophomore Leontia Kallenou won two NCAA High Jump titles her freshman year and has been slow to separate herself nationally this year with her post-college season intentions of competing at the World Championships this summer. She is #1 ranked this year after clearing an equal meet record (tied her jump from last year) 6-2 3/4 at the SEC Indoor Championships.

The top female high school recruit this year was freshman Keturah Orji and she has not disappointed with PR performances in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. She won a tight triple jump battle at the SEC Indoor meet (with the top collegiate returner, Ciarra Brewer of Florida) with a fifth jump of 45-0 1/4 after trailing almost all of the competition.  

There are very few potential scorers for the Bulldogs and they all have strong scoring potential. Senior Quintanya Chapman has improved in her second year in the combined events (she moved from the spring corps) and finished third at the SEC meet (4244 points) behind two NCAA champions (Williams scored 4519 points and 2013 NCAA champion Erica Bougard of Mississippi State scored 4376 points). Greek Sophomore Tatiana Gusin has improved significantly from her freshman year and she is already one of the top female high jumpers this year after getting second with a lifetime pr 6-1 1/2 clearance at the SEC indoor meet. The return of junior-eligible Pole Vaulter Morgann Leleux, a former collegiate leader, has added to the potential for points. Junior Chanice Porter was runner-up at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships and has won a few all-American awards but her progress has been slowed this year. Unfortunately all-American Carl Hamilton could not get her health together soon enough to qualify her for her last collegiate indoor meet.

At the SEC Indoor Championships the Bulldogs did not tax themselves (they still won three titles and they were 6th with 50 points) and should be prepared for a run at an NCAA title. This would add to the successful period of Coach Norton’s tenure at Georgia and could be the school’s first NCAA team track title.  



HashtagsNone
 

More news

History for University of Oregon Track and Field and Cross Country - Eugene, Oregon
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2024 5 4    
2023 16 3    
2022 30 8    
Show 20 more
HashtagsNone
 
 
+PLUS highlights
+PLUS coverage
Live Events
Get +PLUS!