UGA Track Shows Out - Women Win SECs | Men with best Finish since 1940
LEXINGTON - The Georgia women's track & field team earned its third Southeastern Conference title in program history and first since 2006 while the Bulldog men took second with their best finish since 1940 at the SEC Outdoor Championships on Saturday.
The women left Lexington with 103 points while the men tallied 87 points over the course of the three-day meet. Between the two teams, Georgia tallied six event wins, 17 podium finishes, and 26 scoring performances in a successful weekend for the Bulldogs.
Fast Facts
Aaliyah Butler and Dejanea Oakley finished first and fourth in the 400-meter dash, respectively, posting times of 50.36 and 51.34 in the finals to secure a collective five points for the Bulldogs. Butler's win helped her sweep the indoor and outdoor 400m titles in 2025.
Riyon Rankin cleared a personal-best 2.29 meters/7 feet, 6 inches to clinch the outright long jump title on his last attempt. The mark helped him improve his own No. 3 in the Georgia record books.
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Shemar Chambers, Will Floyd, Xai Ricks, and Ervin Pearson ran the fifth-fastest time in school history (3:02.06) to cap off the meet with an SEC title.
Michelle Smith clocked a time of 55.34 in the finals to finish second in the 400m hurdles. The freshman was competing in her first SEC meet outdoors and came away with some hardware to open the postseason.
The women's 4x400m relay team of Michelle Smith, Dejanea Oakley, Haley Tate, and Aaliyah Butler flew to silver in the final women's event of the night, crossing the finish line in 3:24.85. The time ranks second in program history.
Skylynn Townsend recorded a personal-best jump of 13.50m/44-3.50 to place third in the triple jump. The medal marked the first of her collegiate career, bettering her seventh-place finish indoors.
The men's 400m quartet of Ervin Pearson, Will Floyd, Shemar Chambers, and Xai Ricks all scored in the open 400m, crossing the finish line in third (45.58), fourth (45.74), sixth (46.21), and seventh (46.39). Pearson earned the first podium finish of his career with his bronze medal placement, helping the Bulldogs tally 16 total points in the event.
Kaila Jackson earned points in both the 200m and 100m, finishing the events in third and fourth place, respectively. She crossed the finish line in 22.26 in the 200m and 11.19 in the 100m to earn 11 total points as an individual.
Brody Buffington added six points across the 100m and 200m, clocking personal bests in both event finals to finish sixth in each race. Buffington posted times of 10.10 in the 100m and 20.24 in the 200m.
The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Kaila Jackson, Reign Redmond, Sole Frederick, and Dejanea Oakley earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 43.19, scoring five points and moving to No. 5 in program history in the event.
Ryan Olree clocked a personal-best time of 13:57.74 in the 5,000m, breaking his own personal best to move to fifth in Georgia history while finishing one place shy of the points in ninth overall.