Butler, Oakley catapult Georgia in securing first-ever women's outdoor track championship
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Buoyed by top performances in the hammer throw, high jump and 400 meters, the Georgia women's track and field squad distanced itself from the opposition and cruised to its first outdoor national championship in team history.
Georgia lapped the field with 73 points ahead of runners-up USC (47) and third place Texas A&M (43). Fourth-year Bulldogs head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert also won national titles at USC in 2018 and 2021.
Olympic gold medalist Aaliyah Butler and Dejanea Oakley took the first two spots in the 400 meters with Butler posting a 49.26 and Oakley a 49.65. Butler's time was the fifth best all-time for a collegian and Oakley was eighth.
The Bulldogs expanded their lead when Elena Kulichenko won the high jump for the second straight year after tying for the title last year. The Odessa, Russia, native won with a jump of 6 feet, 5 inches.
Michelle Smith, a freshman, finished third in the 400 meter hurdles at 55.20 to clinch the team title. Skylynn Townsend took sixth in the triple jump at 44-4 1/4.
Georgia ended the night by finishing first in the 4x 400 meter relay with Butler taking the lead in the final leg with a winning time of 3:23.62.
The Bulldogs entered Saturday competition in the lead with 26 points after Stephanie Ratcliffe won the hammer throw on Thursday with a nation-leading distance of 234 feet, 2 inches.
Washington and USC shared the lead earlier Saturday night after Washington's Sophie O'Sullivan won the 1,500 meters and USC's Samirah Moody won the 100, but Georgia got 18 points from Butler and Oakley and never looked back.
Georgia also got points in the javelin with a second-place finish from freshman Manuela Rotundo and a fourth-place finish from Lianna Davidson. Senior Keslie Murrell-Ross finished sixth in the shot put.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
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