Spring Break
Track & Field members ready for NCAAs
Issue date: 6/10/09 Section: Sports
Ten members of Georgia's track and field teams made the trip to Fayetteville, Ark., on Tuesday in preparation for the NCAA Outdoor Championships starting on Wednesday and running through Saturday.
For the 20th-ranked Bulldog men, senior Nate Rolfe, junior Branislav Danis, junior John Freeman (hammer), junior Chris Hill (javelin), junior Israel Machovec (discus), senior Justin Gaymon (400-meter hurdles), senior Kevin Dickson (long jump) and senior Adam Sarafian (pole vault) made the trip to the University of Arkansas campus on Tuesday for the meet.
Junior Michelle Thompson (javelin) and sophomore Georgina Nembhard (100, 200) were the Lady Bulldogs who advanced to the national meet.
The first event for Georgia is the men's hammer qualifying round at 11:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Nembhard competes in the first event on the track for Georgia in the first round of the 100 at 7 p.m. later that same night.
Georgia throws coach Don Babbitt, who was named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year on Monday, has brought six throwers to compete against the nation's top talent.
Leading the charge for the throwers is Hill, who is the defending NCAA champion in the javelin. Hill started the week by being named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year and has highlighted his 2009 season thus far by winning his second straight NCAA East Regional title in the javelin with a facility and meet record mark of 263 feet, 7 inches. He also captured his first SEC crown in mid-May and has won all four meets he has competed in this year.
Hill is No. 3 on the national performance list after unleashing an effort of 265-10 to win the Arizona State Invitational in late March.
In the hammer, Rolfe, Danis and Freeman will be representing the Bulldogs first. Rolfe, who is No. 8 on this year's performance list, finished eighth for All-American honors in 2007 and was the runner-up at this year's NCAA East Regional. Danis, who slipped to 12th at the regional meet and currently has the 12th-longest throw in the nation this year, finished second at the Southeastern Conference Championships with a career-best mark of 215-11 and is making his first appearance at the Division I national meet.
Freeman is making his second straight appearance at the NCAA meet after taking 17th in last year's prelims. He was fourth at the SEC meet and is 22nd on the NCAA descending list.
Machovec will also be competing in his second national championships in a row in the discus. He was 25th during the qualifying round of the 2008 meet, but unleashed a season-best mark of 188-8 at the Pumping Iron Classic earlier this season.
For the women, Thompson will be making her debut in the javelin at the NCAA Championships after winning six regular season meets. Thompson is No. 7 on the nation's performance list with a mark of 177-10, which is the third-longest throw in school history.
Gaymon is Georgia's most experienced competitor in Fayetteville. He has earned All-American honors in the 400 hurdles the last two seasons and currently has the country's second-fastest time (48.86). Gaymon won the 2007 and 2008 NCAA East Regional meets and was the runner-up at both this year's SEC and regional meets.
Making the best of his final chance at a national meet is long jumper Kevin Dickson. Dickson has scored in at least one event in all of the SEC meets he has competed during the last four years, but had never advanced to nationals until 2009. Dickson, who also cleared a personal-best height in the high jump this year, came into the regional meet with the 16th-best jump but managed to win his event after soaring a career-best 24-9.
A 2006 indoor All-American, Sarafian is returning to the NCAA Championships in the pole vault after transferring to Arkansas State and then back to the Bulldogs during his career. He had a season-best clearance of 16-11.25 at the NCAA East Regional to take fourth and automatically qualify. Sarafian is 50th on the NCAA performance list.
Another of Georgia's first-time competitors at the NCAA meet is Georgina Nembhard. Despite not finishing in the top five in the 100 or 200 at the regional meet, Nembhard was invited to compete at nationals in both events with at-large bids.
- Georgia Sports Communications
For the 20th-ranked Bulldog men, senior Nate Rolfe, junior Branislav Danis, junior John Freeman (hammer), junior Chris Hill (javelin), junior Israel Machovec (discus), senior Justin Gaymon (400-meter hurdles), senior Kevin Dickson (long jump) and senior Adam Sarafian (pole vault) made the trip to the University of Arkansas campus on Tuesday for the meet.
Junior Michelle Thompson (javelin) and sophomore Georgina Nembhard (100, 200) were the Lady Bulldogs who advanced to the national meet.
The first event for Georgia is the men's hammer qualifying round at 11:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Nembhard competes in the first event on the track for Georgia in the first round of the 100 at 7 p.m. later that same night.
Georgia throws coach Don Babbitt, who was named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year on Monday, has brought six throwers to compete against the nation's top talent.
Leading the charge for the throwers is Hill, who is the defending NCAA champion in the javelin. Hill started the week by being named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year and has highlighted his 2009 season thus far by winning his second straight NCAA East Regional title in the javelin with a facility and meet record mark of 263 feet, 7 inches. He also captured his first SEC crown in mid-May and has won all four meets he has competed in this year.
Hill is No. 3 on the national performance list after unleashing an effort of 265-10 to win the Arizona State Invitational in late March.
In the hammer, Rolfe, Danis and Freeman will be representing the Bulldogs first. Rolfe, who is No. 8 on this year's performance list, finished eighth for All-American honors in 2007 and was the runner-up at this year's NCAA East Regional. Danis, who slipped to 12th at the regional meet and currently has the 12th-longest throw in the nation this year, finished second at the Southeastern Conference Championships with a career-best mark of 215-11 and is making his first appearance at the Division I national meet.
Freeman is making his second straight appearance at the NCAA meet after taking 17th in last year's prelims. He was fourth at the SEC meet and is 22nd on the NCAA descending list.
Machovec will also be competing in his second national championships in a row in the discus. He was 25th during the qualifying round of the 2008 meet, but unleashed a season-best mark of 188-8 at the Pumping Iron Classic earlier this season.
For the women, Thompson will be making her debut in the javelin at the NCAA Championships after winning six regular season meets. Thompson is No. 7 on the nation's performance list with a mark of 177-10, which is the third-longest throw in school history.
Gaymon is Georgia's most experienced competitor in Fayetteville. He has earned All-American honors in the 400 hurdles the last two seasons and currently has the country's second-fastest time (48.86). Gaymon won the 2007 and 2008 NCAA East Regional meets and was the runner-up at both this year's SEC and regional meets.
Making the best of his final chance at a national meet is long jumper Kevin Dickson. Dickson has scored in at least one event in all of the SEC meets he has competed during the last four years, but had never advanced to nationals until 2009. Dickson, who also cleared a personal-best height in the high jump this year, came into the regional meet with the 16th-best jump but managed to win his event after soaring a career-best 24-9.
A 2006 indoor All-American, Sarafian is returning to the NCAA Championships in the pole vault after transferring to Arkansas State and then back to the Bulldogs during his career. He had a season-best clearance of 16-11.25 at the NCAA East Regional to take fourth and automatically qualify. Sarafian is 50th on the NCAA performance list.
Another of Georgia's first-time competitors at the NCAA meet is Georgina Nembhard. Despite not finishing in the top five in the 100 or 200 at the regional meet, Nembhard was invited to compete at nationals in both events with at-large bids.
- Georgia Sports Communications
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