University of Georgia Athletics
‘There’s Nothing Like It’
April 11, 2026 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Kyle Garland, the former Georgia combined-events star and a two-time World Championships bronze medalist, has thrown the shot put at the best venues in the United States and many others around the world. On Saturday, during the Spec Towns Invitational at the new UGA Track & Field Complex, he got to compete in the Bulldogs' spectacular arena for the first time.
"Man, there's nothing like it," he said. "This is easily the best throwing facility in the world."
With the amphitheater seating surrounding the throwing area, which puts fans close to the action, there isn't a bad seat in the house. And the throwers like it, often encouraging the fans to clap their hands and make a lot of noise as the competitors spin in the throwing ring and heave the heavy metal ball.
"It was amazing," Georgia junior Nina Ndubuisi said after placing fifth overall, third among collegiates, in the women's shot put on Saturday. "With the ring in front of the home crowd, and everybody getting louder when they see a Bulldog coming into the ring, it was great. They did an amazing job building this up, definitely."
Ndubuisi and teammate Kelsie Murrell-Ross, like Garland in the men's event, were competing in the new facility for the first time. They train here daily and have had plenty of time to appreciate their new shot put home, but to actually be competing with 200-plus people watching all around them, that was something special.
"It's amazing, and I'm so grateful," said Murrell-Ross, who placed eighth overall and sixth among collegiate competitors. "People have been coming up to me and asking, 'Why aren't you guys hosting SECs? This place is amazing!' I'm like, 'Yeah, I know, I get to practice here every day."
Georgia will be hosting the SEC Outdoor Championships next spring, and the Bulldogs will be back competing on home turf on May 1-2 during the Torrid Lawrence Memorial meet. Murrell-Ross, an All-American in the shot put in 2025, has been battling a foot injury for a few months, and she is hoping to be in better form then than she was Saturday, when her best throw was 54-feet 4.5 inches.
"I'm starting to see the results from doing all of the hard (rehab) work," she said. "I feel like I did relatively good today; it wasn't too bad. I'm trying to get it better, trying to get back to 100%, so I can represent the big 'G' and help the team."
There is a lot that Murrell-Ross likes about Georgia's new shot put arena, from the seating that gets spectators front-and-center to the clever ball return system that just allows gravity to move them about 25 yards back toward the ring. Her favorite thing, however, is the big wooded area right behind the fence at the end of the landing zone.
"I like how close nature is," she said. "Sometimes birds will land up in the trees, and they will sometimes fly right through the middle (of the shot put area) while we're throwing. They'll get so close that you can see the little details on them."
Ndubuisi competed for Texas as a freshman and a sophomore, placing third in the shot put last spring at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. After transferring to Georgia, she has already returned to the podium as a Bulldog. She placed third in March at the NCAA Indoor meet, helping Georgia win the national championship.
Saturday's competition was Ndubuisi's first in the outdoor season. She said she was pretty happy with her best throw of 56-11.5.
"It was a good season opener," she said. "I'm still looking for more, and I feel like there's still a lot more I can do. The season doesn't end until mid-June, so I still have a lot of time to get better.
During his Bulldog career, Garland won three straight SEC Indoor heptathlon championships from 2020-22, the NCAA Indoor heptathlon championship, as well as an SEC Outdoor decathlon title in 2023. As a professional, he's earned bronze medals in the decathlon at the 2025 outdoor World Championships and in the heptathlon at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. He also won the decathlon at the 2025 USA Outdoor Championships.
On Saturday, Garland, who took part in a couple of events to get some competitive training in, ran in a preliminary heat of the 100-meter hurdles, placing fourth overall, just before hustling over to the shot put competition. He only attempted one practice throw, and then had a best throw in the meet of 52 feet 9.25 inches. After that, he hustled back over to the track to run in the 110 hurdles final, where he placed eighth.
"I'm just trying to compete as much as I can, and it's great to be able to do that here," he said. "This is a special place. You can have the best of the best in the world come here and compete. It definitely exceeded my expectations."
Staff Writer
Kyle Garland, the former Georgia combined-events star and a two-time World Championships bronze medalist, has thrown the shot put at the best venues in the United States and many others around the world. On Saturday, during the Spec Towns Invitational at the new UGA Track & Field Complex, he got to compete in the Bulldogs' spectacular arena for the first time.
"Man, there's nothing like it," he said. "This is easily the best throwing facility in the world."
With the amphitheater seating surrounding the throwing area, which puts fans close to the action, there isn't a bad seat in the house. And the throwers like it, often encouraging the fans to clap their hands and make a lot of noise as the competitors spin in the throwing ring and heave the heavy metal ball.
"It was amazing," Georgia junior Nina Ndubuisi said after placing fifth overall, third among collegiates, in the women's shot put on Saturday. "With the ring in front of the home crowd, and everybody getting louder when they see a Bulldog coming into the ring, it was great. They did an amazing job building this up, definitely."
Ndubuisi and teammate Kelsie Murrell-Ross, like Garland in the men's event, were competing in the new facility for the first time. They train here daily and have had plenty of time to appreciate their new shot put home, but to actually be competing with 200-plus people watching all around them, that was something special.
"It's amazing, and I'm so grateful," said Murrell-Ross, who placed eighth overall and sixth among collegiate competitors. "People have been coming up to me and asking, 'Why aren't you guys hosting SECs? This place is amazing!' I'm like, 'Yeah, I know, I get to practice here every day."
Georgia will be hosting the SEC Outdoor Championships next spring, and the Bulldogs will be back competing on home turf on May 1-2 during the Torrid Lawrence Memorial meet. Murrell-Ross, an All-American in the shot put in 2025, has been battling a foot injury for a few months, and she is hoping to be in better form then than she was Saturday, when her best throw was 54-feet 4.5 inches.
"I'm starting to see the results from doing all of the hard (rehab) work," she said. "I feel like I did relatively good today; it wasn't too bad. I'm trying to get it better, trying to get back to 100%, so I can represent the big 'G' and help the team."
There is a lot that Murrell-Ross likes about Georgia's new shot put arena, from the seating that gets spectators front-and-center to the clever ball return system that just allows gravity to move them about 25 yards back toward the ring. Her favorite thing, however, is the big wooded area right behind the fence at the end of the landing zone.
"I like how close nature is," she said. "Sometimes birds will land up in the trees, and they will sometimes fly right through the middle (of the shot put area) while we're throwing. They'll get so close that you can see the little details on them."
Ndubuisi competed for Texas as a freshman and a sophomore, placing third in the shot put last spring at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. After transferring to Georgia, she has already returned to the podium as a Bulldog. She placed third in March at the NCAA Indoor meet, helping Georgia win the national championship.
Saturday's competition was Ndubuisi's first in the outdoor season. She said she was pretty happy with her best throw of 56-11.5.
"It was a good season opener," she said. "I'm still looking for more, and I feel like there's still a lot more I can do. The season doesn't end until mid-June, so I still have a lot of time to get better.
During his Bulldog career, Garland won three straight SEC Indoor heptathlon championships from 2020-22, the NCAA Indoor heptathlon championship, as well as an SEC Outdoor decathlon title in 2023. As a professional, he's earned bronze medals in the decathlon at the 2025 outdoor World Championships and in the heptathlon at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. He also won the decathlon at the 2025 USA Outdoor Championships.
On Saturday, Garland, who took part in a couple of events to get some competitive training in, ran in a preliminary heat of the 100-meter hurdles, placing fourth overall, just before hustling over to the shot put competition. He only attempted one practice throw, and then had a best throw in the meet of 52 feet 9.25 inches. After that, he hustled back over to the track to run in the 110 hurdles final, where he placed eighth.
"I'm just trying to compete as much as I can, and it's great to be able to do that here," he said. "This is a special place. You can have the best of the best in the world come here and compete. It definitely exceeded my expectations."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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