Butler, Oakley catapult Georgia in securing first-ever women's outdoor track championship
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.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Vinnie Pasquantino's sacrifice fly
Vinnie Pasquantino skies a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Maikel Garcia to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the 1st
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crowned in Queens: Pete Alonso becomes Mets' all-time HR leader
NEW YORK — Move over, Darryl Strawberry. There's a new home run king in Queens, and his name is Pete Alonso. On Tuesday, Alonso etched his name in the Mets' record books with a single a swing. His third inning home run, No. 253 in his career, surpasses Strawberry's all-time franchise home run record (252). Alonso is no stranger to the record books. In his rookie season, in 2019, he surprised the baseball world when he broke Yankees slugger Aaron Judge's single-season rookie home run record (52) just two seasons earlier. Alonso's 53 home runs remain the single-season record to this day. Next up is the franchise RBI record, which is held by the most recent addition to the Mets' Hall of Fame, David Wright (970 RBIs). Alonso is third on the all-time franchise list with 702 RBIs. That's 298 shy of Wright's record and 64 shy of Strawberry (733 RBIs), who's in second place. Alonso is currently in the first year of a two-year, $54 million contract, which includes a player opt-out. After this season, when he proved to be a force in MLB, batting .267 with 27 home runs and 95 RBIs, third in MLB, the veteran first baseman will likely opt out for more cash. A legend in his own right, he deserves it. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Astros' closer Josh Hader headed to 15-day IL with left shoulder strain
The Houston Astros made a splash last month when they reunited with three-time All-Star Carlos Correa. But the Astros didn't come away from the trade deadline with a new reliever. Now they've lost their best one to the 15-day IL. Six-time All-Star Josh Hader, who is currently tied for third in MLB with 28 saves, will have to recover from a left shoulder strain before he returns to the mound, where he's posted a 6-2 record and 2.05 ERA in 48 games this season. The lefty closer reported shoulder discomfort ahead of Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox. "It's [a] punch in the gut,' Astros manager Joe Espada said, per The Associated Press. 'But ... he's seeing doctors right now. We're getting more tests done and hopefully this is not going to be a long-term thing." Hader recorded a season-high 36 pitches across two innings Friday in New York during a 5-3 win that was settled in the 10th frame. That marked his seventh multi-inning appearance of the season. He also warmed up down the stretch of Sunday's series finale, but his number wasn't called while the Astros wrapped up a 7-1 win. Hader is in the second year of his five-year, $95 million deal with Houston. He set a franchise record by starting the season 25 for 25 in save opportunities. Entering the week, he was tied for second among all AL relievers in strikeouts, according to With Hader out, Espada isn't planning on naming a replacement closer. Instead he told reporters that he'll dispatch certain relievers from his bullpen in those situations depending on matchups. 'I feel good about all those guys,' Espada said. It's a group that welcomed back right-handed reliever Shawn Dubin, who was reinstated from the 15-day IL Tuesday. The Astros also recalled lefty Colton Gordon from Triple-A Sugar Land. After bouncing back from a 2-8 stretch that started on July 24 and ended on Aug. 3, the 67-52 Astros went into Tuesday night with a one-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.
