T&F Heads To Virginia For NCAA Indoor Championships

Friday, March 14

Virginia Beach, Va.

University of Georgia

NCAA Indoor Championships

Shemar Chambers during the 2025 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships at R.A. "Murray" Fasken '38 Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas on Friday, February 28, 2025. (Kirk Meche)

Photo by: Kirk Meche

T&F Heads To Virginia For NCAA Indoor Championships

March 13, 2025 | Track & Field

Start Lists 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships - Meet Notes

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- The fifth-ranked Lady Bulldogs  and the 12^th-ranked Georgia men made the trip to Virginia Beach, Va., on Wednesday before the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships begin on Friday and continue through Saturday in the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

When Do The Dogs Start?: Junior Ella Rush will start her first event of the pentathlon (60-meter hurdles) at 9:35 a.m. followed by the high jump, shot put, long jump and 800m later on Friday.  Rush stands No. 11 on the national list after winning the Razorback Invitational earlier this year with the ninth-best score in UGA history (4,217).

Junior Kaila Jackson is first up in the open events in the 60m semifinal at 3:48 p.m. while sophomore Will Floyd will start the meet for the Bulldog men at 7:30 p.m. in the 400m semis on day one.

Saturday will begin with senior Elena Kulichenko in the women's high jump and sophomore Riyon Rankin in the men's high jump at 12 p.m.  Jackson will be first on the track on day two at 3:10 p.m. in the 60m final.

Where To Catch The NCAA Championships: Live streaming of the NCAA meet will air on ESPN+ starting on Friday and continuing through Saturday.  The broadcast talent includes Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien, Larra Overton and John Anderson.

A tape delay special of the Championships will air on ESPNU on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Friday - Field Events: https://gado.gs/cqs
Friday - Women's Track Events: https://gado.gs/cqt
Friday - Men's Track Events: https://gado.gs/cqu
Saturday - Field Events: https://gado.gs/cqv
Saturday - Women's Track Events: https://gado.gs/cqw
Saturday - Men's Track Events: https://gado.gs/cqx

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend, please visit: https://gado.gs/cri

Coach Caryl's Comments: "As usual, our teams competed against many of the nation's best at SECs two weekends ago and now we get to see the rest of the country's elite," said Bulldog head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert.  "I've been pleased with how hard this group has worked from August on, and now I look forward to them reaping the benefits of their training. We are eager to carry the momentum from the indoor season outdoors, but we first want to finish this weekend the way we have become accustomed to at Georgia. GO DAWGS!"

Success At Recent NCAA Indoors: The Lady Bulldogs have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Indoor Championships for nine out of the last 12 completed indoor seasons (2020 season was canceled prior to Nationals because of the pandemic), including their run to a national championship in 2018.

The Georgia men have been in the top 10 for six out of the last seven completed seasons, have been in the top three a trio of times out of the last six NCAA meets (2018, 2021, 2023) and scored their most points in meet history (40) with their record-setting runner-up finish in 2023.

What Dogs Advanced To NCAAs?: Georgia has 16 student-athletes who are seeded in the top 16 in 10 different events, which includes Sydney Harris and London Costen as alternates on the women and men's 4x400m relays, respectively.

For the Lady Bulldogs, Jackson (60m, 200m), junior Aaliyah Butler (400m, 4x400m relay), Dejanea Oakley(400m, 4x400m relay), Michelle Smith and Haley Tate (4x400m relay), Kulichenko (high jump) and Rush (pentathlon).

On the men's side, Floyd (400m, 4x400m relay), Xai Ricks, Ervin Pearson (nicknamed "Flash") and Shemar Chambers (4x400m relay), Rankin (high jump), sophomore Micah Larry and freshman Jayden Keys (long jump).

A Glimpse At The 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships: The Lady Bulldogs led the way at last year's Nationals with a third-place finish, marking their third top-five finish in the last four years.  The Georgia men used three scorers to notch a 15th-place showing.  The Bulldogs have been 15th or better for seven consecutive seasons.

The Lady Bulldogs used a balanced scoring on the track and in the field to tally 33 points.  Jackson complemented her silver in the 60m by taking fourth in the 200m while Butler also took fourth in the 400m.  Butler and her 4x400m relay mates added three more points thanks to taking sixth and UGA got a pair of bronze medals from Kulichenko (high jump) and Mikeisha Welcome (triple jump) in the field.

The Bulldog men got the Christopher Morales Williams experience one final time indoors as the all-time world leader blazed to a facility record to win the 400m crown.  Rankin added a seventh-place finish in the high jump during his first NCAA action and Alex Kolesnikoff also took seventh in the shot put as the Harvard grad returned to Boston.

What's Next For The Bulldogs?: Following the NCAA Championships, the Bulldogs start their outdoor season a week later at the Yellow Jacket Invitational (Atlanta) and the Black and Gold Invitational (Orlando, Fla.) on March 21-22.

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