Bulldogs Set For Regular Season Finale At LSU Invitational

Saturday, May 3

Baton Rouge, La.

University of Georgia

LSU Invitational

Photo by: Chris Watkins Photography

Bulldogs Set For Regular Season Finale At LSU Invitational

May 02, 2025 | Track & Field

ATHENS, Ga. --- A group of Georgia sprinters, jumpers, and distance runners will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the outdoor regular season finale, competing at the LSU Invitational on Saturday. The meet will serve as the team's final preparation for the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships on May 15-17.

Who's The Competition?: Ten teams are slated to compete at the LSU Invitational, including eight representatives from the SEC. The programs set to travel to Baton Rouge include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami (FL), Minnesota, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

When Do The Bulldogs Start?: The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Sanna Frederick, Sole Frederick, Kaila Jackson, and Dejanea Oakley will kick off the action for the Bulldogs on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET. Micah Larry and Jayden Keys will open the field events at 2:30 p.m., competing in the men's long jump.

Live Results: For results throughout the weekend from the LSU Invitational, please visit: https://gado.gs/d4x.

Coach Caryl's Comments: "We have a small group traveling to Baton Rouge for this last chance at competing during the outdoor regular season," Georgia head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert said. "This is one last opportunity to get better and set ourselves up for the postseason. This competition is two weeks from SECs, so we intend to compete at a high level on Saturday and get closer to elite performances when the league meet begins. GO DAWGS!"

What Bulldogs Are Competing?: Georgia will be represented by 20 competitors in Baton Rouge this weekend. Those Bulldogs include Sanaa Frederick; Sole Frederick; Sydney Harris; Kaila Jackson; Elena Kulichenko; Dejanea Oakley; Michelle Smith; and Haley Tate on the women's side and Brody Buffington; Shemar Chambers; London Costen; Will Floyd; Jehlani Gordon; Jayden Keys; Micah Larry; Joseph Minecci; Ryan Olree; Ervin Pearson; Xai Ricks; and Conner Rutherford on the men's side.

LAST WEEK'S FLASHBACK – Tiger Track Classic (April 26): The Bulldogs traveled to Auburn to compete in the Tiger Track Classic last Saturday, coming away with 12 event wins in the one-day meet. Riyon Rankin led the way for the Bulldogs with his winning jump of 2.27 meters/7 feet, 5.25 inches, climbing to No. 3 in the Georgia record books with the best mark in the NCAA this season. The women's 4x400m relay team of Dejanea Oakley, Haley Tate, Sydney Harris, and Aaliyah Butler also improved to No. 3 in program history in their event (3:28.25) to earn the victory in Auburn. Stephanie Ratcliffe's winning throw of 69.69m/228-7 and Elena Kulichenko's top jump of 1.89m/6-2.25 were both good for third in the NCAA in 2025. Additionally, Lianna Davidson (56.34m/184-10) and Moustafa Alsherif (75.33m/247-1) completed a sweep of Bulldog victories in the javelin.

National and Conference Honors Stack Up: The Bulldogs came away from their first meet weekend of the season with three SEC weekly honors. Lianna Davidson was named SEC Women's Field Athlete of the week following her javelin performance at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, where she recorded a school-record mark of 62.59 meters/205 feet, 4 inches to win the event with the No. 2 mark in NCAA history. Additionally, Davidson was named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week for her performance in Atlanta.

Michelle Smith earned SEC Women's Freshman of the Week honors with her winning time of 55.98 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Black and Gold Invitational, making her the No. 3 performer in program history. Fellow freshman Ervin Pearson was named SEC Men's Co-Runner of the Week after clocking a nation-leading time of 45.42 to win the 400m at the Black and Gold Invitational. He moved into sixth in Georgia history outdoors with his performance.

The Bulldogs took home another three SEC honors after the Florida Relays on April 4-5. Rotundo was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week and SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week after becoming the No. 2 all-time collegiate javelin thrower with her school-record mark of 64.17m/210-6. Combined with Davidson's National Athlete of the Week award two weeks prior, it was just the second time in NCAA Division I award history that a program had different student-athletes earn the award in consecutive weeks.

Fellow javelin thrower Moustafa Alsherif earned SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors with his runner-up performance in Gainesville, Fla. He recorded a fifth-attempt mark of 79.72m/261-6 to record the top collegiate finish at Florida in his Bulldog debut. Alsherif ranks third in program history in the event.

Smith earned her second SEC Women's Freshman of the Week award with her school-record and nation-leading time of 54.56 in the 400-meter hurdles. Georgia's 29-year-old school record fell with her performance as the Frederiksted, St. Croix, native won the event by over a second.

Alsherif earned his second SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week award following his victory in the javelin at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 18. The senior recorded a top mark of 80.52m/264-2 to become the No. 25 all-time collegiate performer while taking the NCAA lead in the event. The performance improved Alsherif's mark as the No. 3 performer in school history.

Three Bulldogs left the Tiger Track Classic with SEC awards for their performances on April 26. Riyon Rankin was named SEC Men's Field Athlete after jumping to the NCAA lead with his victory in the high jump (2.27m/7-5.25). Ervin Pearson earned SEC Men's Freshman of the Week following his runner-up performance in the 400m, posting a personal best time of 45.32 to move to 10^th nationally and fifth in Georgia history. Stephanie Ratcliffe recorded the best throw of her Georgia career (69.69m/228-7) to win the hammer throw with the No. 3 mark on the NCAA list this season and take home SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.

Where This Season Will Take The Dogs: After a week off, the SEC Outdoor Championships will kick off postseason competition for the Bulldogs on May 15-17 in Lexington, Ky. Georgia will then compete at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 28-31 before wrapping up the outdoor season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14.

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.