Georgia Set to Split Squads to Clemson, Vanderbilt

Friday, February 14

Clemson, S.C.

University of Georgia

Tiger Paw Invitational

February 13, 2025 | Track & Field

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ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia track & field teams will split up for the first time this season, sending competitors to the Tiger Paw Invitational and Music City Challenge on Friday and Saturday.

The Tiger Paw Invitational, hosted by Clemson, will feature most of Georgia's competitors this weekend while the Distance Dawgs will take the track at the Vanderbilt-hosted Music City Challenge. The weekend of competition will mark the penultimate weekend of the indoor regular season before Georgia heads to Bryan-College Station, Texas for the SEC Indoor Championships.

Who's The Competition?: Georgia will be one of a plethora of teams in attendance at both meets. The Bulldogs are one of 31 teams set to compete in the Tiger Paw Invitational and one of 57 institutions heading to Nashville for the Music City Challenge. Georgia will be joined by seven and five other SEC schools in Clemson and Nashville, respectively. At the Tiger Paw Invitational, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M will represent the SEC during the two-day meet. In Nashville, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt will take the track while representing the SEC.

When Do The Bulldogs Start?: The Bulldogs will begin competition at the Tiger Paw Invitational at 12 p.m. ET  on Friday as T'oni Birden and Ella Rush compete in the women's long jump. The first track event will begin at 12:05 and will feature Rush and Jaci Wright in the 60-meter hurdles.

At the Music City Challenge, Zack Truitt and Joseph Minecci will open the action for Georgia in the men's mile at 6:20 p.m. ET. Izzy Yonas will compete first for the women at 8:35 p.m. in the 5,000-meter run.

Where To Catch The Action: There will be ESPN streaming coverage of both meets this weekend. The Tiger Paw Invitational can be watched on ACC Network Extra beginning at 12 p.m. ET on both days while the Music City Challenge will air live on the SEC Network+ at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

ACC Info:
Tiger Paw Invitational – Day One – Friday, February 14
ACCNX –  https://gado.gs/bcb

Tiger Paw Invitational – Day Two – Saturday, February 15
ACCNX –  https://gado.gs/bcb

SEC Network+ Info:
Music City Challenge – Day One – Friday, February 14
SECN+ – https://gado.gs/clz

Music City Challenge – Day Two – Saturday, February 15
SECN+ – https://gado.gs/cm0

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend from the Tiger Paw Invitational, please visit:https://gado.gs/cm1.

For results throughout the weekend from the Music City Challenge, please visit: https://gado.gs/cm2.

Coach Caryl's Comments: "We will have a small group head out again next weekend, but our trip to the Tiger Paw Invite is our last true opportunity to record the marks and times we want headed into the postseason," head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "The indoor season is flying by, like it always does, and I anticipate another flurry of personal and season bests at Clemson. We are also excited to see what our 10 Distance Dawgs can do as they make their traditional trip to Nashville for the Music City Challenge. GO DAWGS!"

What Bulldogs Are Competing?: Georgia will be represented by 39 athletes – 21 women and 18 men – at the Tiger Paw Invitational. On the women's side, Sydney Augmon, T'oni Birden, Aaliyah Butler, Sanaa Frederick, Sole Frederick, Kieley Gayle, Alisa Gordon, Sydney Harris, Kaila Jackson, Elena Kulichenko, Kelsie Murrell-Ross, Danah Nembhard, Dejanea Oakley, Karsen Phillips, Stephanie Ratcliffe, Reign Redmond, Ella Rush, Michelle Smith, Haley Tate, Skylynn Townsend, and Jaci Wright will make the trip to Clemson to compete for the Bulldogs.

The men's crew in Clemson will consist of Brody Buffington, Jacob Carruthers, Shemar Chambers, Jordan Fick, Will Floyd, Jehlani Gordon, Ian Hodge, Chance Jones, Jayden Keys, Eddie Kurjak, Micah Larry, Ervin Pearson, Riyon Rankin, Xai Ricks, Maximus Tucker, Nikolai van Huyssteen, and Zavien Wolfe.

A total of 10 Distance Dawgs are set to compete at the Music City Challenge. Junior Katherine Law and freshmen Kayla Dickerson and Izzy Yonas will all make their season debuts for the women while Luke Churchwell, Cole Heron, KC Heron, Joseph Minecci, Ryan Olree, Conner Rutherford, and Zack Truitt will take the track for the men in Nashville.

LAST WEEK'S FLASHBACK – Razorback Invitational (Jan. 31-Feb. 1): The Bulldogs concluded their second meet of the season in record-breaking fashion as the women's 4x400-meter relay team clocked a school-record time of 3:27.95. The quartet of Aaliyah Butler, Michelle Smith, Haley Tate, and Dejanea Oakley posted the No. 2 time in the world this year to help Georgia finish second in the event. The men's 4x400m relay team of Will Floyd, Shemar Chambers, Xai Ricks, and Ervin Pearson also etched their names into the record books with the No. 7 mark in program history while Skylynn Townsend's runner-up performance in the triple jump (13.30 meters/43 feet, 7.75 inches) earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors and moved her to No. 8 in program history. Additionally, Smith became the No. 6 performer in Georgia history in the 400-meter dash with her time of 53.06.

Indoor SEC Honors: Kulichenko earned SEC Women's Co-Field Athlete of the Week honors following her high jump victory at the Ted Nelson Invitational. The senior cleared 1.90 meters/6 feet, 2.75 inches on her third attempt to defeat her nearest competition by eight inches. She moved to No. 4 on the national list with her best career effort in an indoor opener.

Freshman jumper Skylynn Townsend earned the first SEC honor of her career following her performance at the Razorback Invitational, where she finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 13.30m/43-7.75. The Prosper, Texas, native also competed in the long jump at the Arkansas-hosted meet, finishing eighth with a mark of 6.15m/20-2.25.

Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: The Bulldogs will wrap up the indoor regular season at the USC Invite in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 22. Georgia will then open postseason competition at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 27-March 1, returning to Bryan-College Station for the second time this season. The NCAA Indoor Championships will be held two weeks later as the indoor season wraps in Virginia Beach, Va., on March 14-15.

Where To Find Bulldogs News: Results and recaps from the Bulldogs' indoor season will be found at georgiadogs.com. News and updates from Georgia's track & field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.