ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia Tech track & field opened up its final regular season outdoor meet of the 2021 campaign at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial Meet hosted by the University of Georgia at Spec Towns Track in Athens on Friday. The Yellow Jackets faced host UGA, Clemson, Columbia International University, Connecticut, Emory, Georgia State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Senior women’s jumper Bria Matthews set a new school record in the long jump twice at the meet. She PR’d with a mark of 6.53m/21′ 5.25″ to break the record, only to turn around and post a jump of 6.58m/21′ 7.25″ afterwards. That length gives her the No. 9 mark in the country on the national outdoor list at the time of publication, as well as the third best in the East Region. Joining Matthews in the long jump was teammate Taylor Grimes who cleared a mark of 6.39m/20″ 11.75″, giving her a tie for the ninth best effort in the East Region and a new outdoor best.
Another first-place effort was performed by freshman Alex Thomas in the men’s 800m, as he set a new personal record crossing the finish line at 1:49.09. Friday’s race was the first time in his collegiate career that Thomas has captured gold.
In the men’s pole vault competition sophomore Brian Hauch took second-place among collegiate athletes with a massive personal best height of 5.18m/17′.
Freshmen Shanty Papakosta & Carla du Plessis combined for a fourth-place tie in the women’s high jump, each clearing a height of 1.70m/5′ 7″. The women’s 800m event also saw a fourth-place finish by fellow teammate Ilene Soleyn as she clocked in with a new personal best time at 2:13.71. Hurdler Reese Crawford posted a time of 1:01.77 in the women’s 400m hurdles, earning a new PR and fourth-place spot on the individual leaderboard.
The Jackets will be back for the final day of the Torrin Lawrence Memorial Meet tomorrow starting at 1:30 p.m. (EST) when Matthews & John Watkins take on the triple jump competitions. Other events to keep an eye on during day two include Olivia Moore in the women’s pole vault, Taylor Grimes & Anna Witherspoon in the women’s 100m hurdles, McKinley Thompson in the men’s high jump and a swarm of men & women representing the White & Gold in the 1500m race. Saturday’s action will be live streamed on SEC Network + and can be accessed here.
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