ATHENS – As Larry Munson might’ve said back in the day, records were falling from the sky for the Georgia track teams in Albuquerque this weekend.
Under the direction of second-year coach Caryl Smith Gilbert, the Bulldogs’ men’s team scored a program-record 40 points for a second-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday. It was the best finish in school history.
Georgia’s women’s team finished fifth for the second time in three years. It also finished fifth in 2021.
Highlighting the meet for the Bulldogs was fifth-year senior Kyle Garland, who set the collegiate heptathlon record to win his first individual national championship. Garland’s score of 6,639 points is the second-best indoor total ever - six points behind the record of 6,645 set in 2012 by Ashton Eaton.
Garland was one of three Bulldogs to win individual titles. Senior sprinters Matthew Boling (200 meters) and Elija Godwin (400) also claimed gold medals.
Godwin, a fifth-year senior from Covington, landed his first NCAA title with a scorching time of 44.75. That matched Godwin’s career best and is currently the fastest time in the world. Godwin is Georgia’s second national champion in the event, joining the late Torrin Lawrence (2010).
Boling’s 20.12 time in the 200 eclipsed his previous school record he ran in the event in 2021, when he also claimed the national title.
In all, the Bulldogs had 11 scorers at the national meet. They included Kaila Jackson (2nd, women’s 60 meter; 8th, 200)), Elena Kulichenko (3rd, women’s high jump), Autumn Wilson (3rd, women’s 200 meters; 4th, 60 meters), Mikeisha Welcome (4th, triple jump) and Will Sumner (7th, men’s 800).
By scoring in the national meet, all earned All-American distinction.
UGA All-Americans
Name -- Event -- Finish (Mark/Time)
Kyle Garland -- Heptathlon -- 1st (6,639 pts.)
Elija Godwin -- men’s 400 -- 1st (44.75)
Matthew Boling -- men’s 200 -- 1st (20.12)
Kaila Jackson -- women’s 60 -- 2nd (7.08)
Elena Kulichenko -- women’s high jump -- 3rd (1.88m/6-2)
Autumn Wilson -- women’s 200 -- 3rd (22.45)
Mikeisha Welcome -- women’s triple jump -- 4th (*46-7.50)
Autumn Wilson -- women’s 60 -- 4th (*7.12)
Will Sumner -- men’s 800 -- 7th (1:51.46)
Kaila Jackson -- women’s 200 -- 8th (22.84)
M. Boling, C. Cavanaugh, C. Morales Williams, W. Sumner -- men’s 4x400 -- 2nd (3:03.10)
About the Author
