THE FLATS – Georgia Tech track & field closed out the final day of the Yellow Jacket Invitational at home on The Flats at Griffin Track on Saturday afternoon.
Tech lined up against Boston College (M/W), Georgia (M/W), Georgia State (W), Kennesaw State (M/W), Lipscomb (M/W) and Samford (M/W).
“It was a great day to be on The Flats, at an outdoor track meet even with limited capacity, and watch the women compete in front of family and friends,” said head women’s track & field coach Alan Drosky. “Across the board we had good performances and great energy. We need to build on this weekend, but the takeaway for me was all the smiling faces at the end of the day.”
“It was great to get back out at Griffin Track and have competition on a beautiful sunny day,” added head men’s track & field coach Grover Hinsdale. “The meet was small, but it was competitive. I was very pleased with the whole weekend.”
On the women’s end of things Tech collected gold across three events, while the men took first in two events throughout the final day.
Senior jumper Bria Matthews took first in the women’s triple jump leaping for a distance of 12.70m/41′ 8″ on her final attempt. That mark was good for No. 14 in the nation at the time of publication.
Matthews made another appearance on podium after she raced to a second-place finish in the women’s 200m dash clocking in at 24.97, setting a new PR in the process. Freshman Anna Witherspoon joined Matthews on podium in the 200m as she placed third with a time of 25.03.
Adding on yesterday’s gold effort in the long jump, Matthews made podium in three separate events at the outdoor season opener. Her long jump mark of 6.16m/20′ 2.5″ currently ranks ninth nationally.
True freshman jumper Carla du Plessis led the field in the women’s high jump competition, clearing a height of 1.71m/5′ 7.25″ to take first, giving her the No. 14 mark in the country. Fellow true freshman Shanty Papakosta joined du Plessis on podium in the high jump as she placed third in the event at 1.61m/5′ 3.25″.
Senior distance runner Nicole Fegans added to Techs’ national rankings as she clocked in with a new personal best time of 2:10.31 in the women’s 800m. That effort earns her the No. 15 spot on the NCAA Division I outdoor list.
Junior Kendria Edouard, freshman Lydia Troupe, sophomore Reese Crawford and freshman Kayla Rose teamed up in the women’s 4×400, taking second-place at 3:51.93.
Crawford (1:03.66) and Edouard (1:04.69) found themselves on podium again earlier in the day as they had second- and third-place performances in the 400m hurdles competition.
The Yellow Jacket men were guided by senior sprinters Ben Jean and Tyson Spears on day two. Jean finished first in the 400m dash crossing the finish line at 47.90, then Spears captured gold in the 200m dash with a time of 21.22. Jean raced to the No 25 mark nationally, while Spears’ effort was good for the No. 16 mark in Div. I.
Junior distance runner Braeden Collins (3:48.43) owns the No. 7 time in NCAA Div. I in the 1500m following Saturday’s action.
True freshman John Watkins leapt for a mark of 15.48m/50′ 9.50″ in the men’s triple jump earning a second-place finish on the individual leaderboard.
Fellow true freshman Alex Thomas guided a swarm of Jackets in the men’s 800m, garnering the No. 12 mark in the country and a third-place finish at 1:51.11.
“I look forward to watching Alex compete every weekend,” Hinsdale said. “He comes to the line with this look in his eye like he is ready to take care of business. He runs smart and he runs tough.”
Four Jackets placed in the top-10 in the 800m, as sophomore Joshua Williams (5th-place, 1:55.60), freshman Nick Nyman (7th-place, 1:55.71) and senior Jake Shewbert (8th-place, 1:55.80) followed up Thomas.
Sophomore jumper McKinley Thompson took home the bronze in the men’s high jump at a height of 2.00m/6′ 6.75″.
The Yellow Jackets will be back for week two next weekend as they split to Florida State Relays in Tallahassee on March 25-26 and Raleigh Relays in Raleigh on March 25-27.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2021, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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