The Georgia women’s track and field team pulled away from the competition in Eugene, Oregon, to win the program’s first outdoor national championship in dominant fashion.
The Bulldogs finished the competition with 73 total points. USC came in second with 47 and Texas took third with 43 points.
This becomes the third national championship won by Georgia this year, with equestrian and women’s tennis also finishing their respective seasons as champions.
This is the first outdoor championship for the women’s track program. In 2018, the men won the outdoor championship while the women won the indoor championship that same year.
In her fourth season as Georgia women’s track and field coach, Caryl Smith Gilbert wins her third national championship as a head coach, winning two previously with USC.
The Bulldogs capped the evening with a win in the 4x400 meter relay with a winning time of 3:23.62
The 400-meter individual event proved massive for Georgia’s title chances, as the Bulldogs finished first and second in the event. Aaliyah Butler, who won gold in the 4x400-meter relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted a 49.26 to finish just ahead of teammate Dejanea Oakley’s 49.65.
Georgia took home wins in the high jump (Elena Kulichenko, 1.96 meters) and hammer throw (Stephanie Ratcliffe, 71.37 meters) to add to the total.
Georgia also scored points in the javelin (Manuela Rotundo, second place at 60.35 meters, and Lianna Davidson, fourth place at 59.03 meters); shot put (Kelsie Murrell-Ross, sixth, 17.80 meters); triple jump (Skylynn Townsend, sixth, 13.52 meters); and 400-meter hurdles (Michelle Smith, third, 55.20 seconds).
The Georgia men’s team finished in 45th place, with Texas A&M winning the team title.
Georgia now has 52 national titles across all sports.
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