EUGENE, Ore. — The Georgia women’s track and field team exploded for 73 points to win its first national outdoor title by 26 points as the NCAA Championships wrapped up on Saturday.
 
Senior Elena Kulichenko (high jump), junior Aaliyah Butler (400-meter dash) and Butler, Michelle Smith, Dejanea Oakley and Sydney Harris (4x400m relay) captured national crowns while Oakley collected silver in the 400m, Smith managed bronze in the 400m hurdles and freshman Skylynn Townsend posted a personal best to take sixth in the triple jump.  
 
Final Women’s Team Scores: Finishing behind Georgia (73 points) was USC (47), Texas A&M (43), Washington (31) and Illinois (29.5) in the top five.
 
This squad of 16 Bulldogs, including a relay alternate for both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, represent seven different nations and featured six first timers at the meet and four true freshmen.  Georgia finished as the runner-up in back-to-back years in 2017-18 and its 2025 point total of 73 is a school record, topping the 62.2 in 2017.
 
While this is the first NCAA outdoor team title for the Georgia women, they did capture the 2018 indoor team championship.  The Bulldogs’ outdoor crown is the 52^nd overall team national championship for UGA, including the men’s outdoor championship in Eugene in 2018, tying LSU and Arkansas for the second most team titles in the SEC.  This is the fourth national championship for UGA this academic year after women’s tennis won the indoor and outdoor crowns and equestrian captured the championship.
 

Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert adds the 2025 championship to her 2018 and 2021 women’s titles while leading USC’s program.  Smith Gilbert was also on Tennessee’s staff when the indoor squad won the 2005 championship.  With Saturday’s championship, Smith Gilbert becomes the first collegiate female coach to win NCAA track and field championships at two separate schools.
 
“We worked really, really, really hard and we have a team that is starting to form into something that will be a great program,” Smith Gilbert said.  “It’s very important to me for us to have points all over the place.  Track and field is track and field so we made a point this year and for the future to build all parts of the program, not just the sprints.  I have the greatest coaching staff on the planet and a Director of Athletics in Josh Brooks and a president in Jere Morehead who support our program to no end.  I am so proud to bring home this championship to Athens.”
 
Meet Schedule: Other than the decathlon running Wednesday-Thursday and the heptathlon going Friday-Saturday, the meet was set up to be a men’s competition on Wednesday and Friday and a women’s competition on Thursday and Saturday.
 
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday Highlights: Georgia only had a pair of high jumpers compete on Friday and senior transfer Eddie Kurjak tied for eighth place and earned First Team All-America honors after coming from a NCAA Division II program.
 
During the women’s first day of action on Thursday, graduate transfer Stephanie Ratcliffe won her second career hammer throw title and became the first NCAA representative to accomplish the feat at two separate schools and in non-consecutive years.  Freshman Manuela Rotundo and senior Lianna Davidson finished second and fourth in the javelin to give Georgia its first pair of scorers in the event since two Bulldogs were in the top eight in 2005.  Finally, senior Kelsie Murrell-Ross steadily improved during her series to finish sixth in the shot put, becoming the first to earn scoring All-America honors in the event for UGA since 2000.
 
On Wednesday, senior transfer Moustafa Alsherif finished fourth in the javelin to give the Bulldog men a scorer in the event for the fourth straight year.  Also, freshman Jayden Keys complemented his Southeastern Conference long jump title with an eighth-place finish in the event to score for the men.
 
Full Results: To check out live results throughout the four-day season finale, please check: https://gado.gs/da0
 
The Lowdown: Kulichenko, a Ondintsovo, Russia, native, shared the national crown in 2024 but left no doubt as she claimed her first sole title in the high jump.  Coming in at 1.84 meters/6-0.50 on Saturday, Kulichenko went over five heights, including the winning mark of 1.96m/6-5, on her first try and topped Illinois’ Rose Yeboah for the championship.  This is UGA’s fourth national championship in the event.
 
Butler, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, collected her first individual national championship in the 400m and the second in school history (Lynna Irby, 2018).  She came in as the national leader and left with a fresh school record and became the No. 5 all-time collegiate performer.  Only one member of the field, Butler’s teammate Dejanea Oakley, came within striking distance of her.
 
Oakley, who hails from Clarendon, Jamaica, sped to her own personal record of 49.65 to earn the silver medal as Georgia tallied 18 points in the event to take control of the meet.  Oakley’s time dropped Irby’s previous No. 2 time in the school record books to No. 3.
 
Butler later combined with Smith, Oakley and Harris to win Georgia’s first women’s 4x400m relay outdoors in history.  Topping the school record and taking over the No. 8 spot on the collegiate all-time performer’s list, the Bulldogs passed the baton around for a 3:23.62 to top Arkansas (3:24.25) for gold.  Butler scorched an anchor leg of 48.79 to move into the overall lead during the final 100 meters and put an exclamation mark on Georgia’s point total.
 
Arriving on the Oregon campus seeded 11^th nationally, Townsend, a native of Prosper, Texas, posted six fair attempts in the triple jump and topped out at a personal record to finish sixth at her first Nationals.  Townsend’s second try of 13.52m/44-4.50 situated her in sixth place with a comfortable cushion as she joined the great four-time NCAA outdoor triple jump champion Keturah Orji as a UGA First Team All-American.
 
How To Keep Up With The Dogs: Results and recaps from the NCAA Outdoor 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.
 
Bulldog Day 1 Scorers
Name                                     Event                          Mark/Time – Place
Moustafa Alsherif                 M. Javelin                  76.69m/251-7 – 4^th
Jayden Keys                         M. Long Jump           7.80m/25-7.25 – 8^th
Bulldog Day 2 Scorers
Stephanie Ratcliffe              W. Hammer Throw  *71.37m/234-2 – 1^st
Manuela Rotundo                W. Javelin                  60.35m/198-0 – 2^nd
Lianna Davidson                  W. Javelin                  59.03m/193-8
Kelsie Murrell-Ross             W. Shot Put               17.80m/58-4.75
*national leading mark
Bulldog Day 3 Scorers
Eddie Kurjak                         M. High Jump           2.15m/7-0.50 – T-8^th
Bulldog Day 4 Scorers
Elena Kulichenko                 W. High Jump           1.96m/6-5 – 1^st
Aaliyah Butler                       W. 400m                    *^49.26 – 1^st
Michelle Smith                      W. 400mH                 55.20 – 3^rd
Skylynn Townsend              W. Triple Jump         ^13.52m/44-4.25 – 6^th
Dejanea Oakley                   W. 400m                    ^49.65 – 2^nd
Butler, Smith                         W. 4x400m Relay    *^3:23.62
Oakley, S. Harris
 
Final Team Standings (top 10)
MEN

T-1. Texas A&M (41 pts.)
T-1. USC (41)
3. Arkansas (40)
4. Auburn (35)
5. New Mexico (31)
6. Oklahoma (30.5)
7. Minnesota (25)
T-8. Florida (22)
T-8. Kentucky (22)
T-8. Ole Miss (22)
45. GEORGIA (6.33)
 
WOMEN
1. GEORGIA (73)
2. USC (47)

3. Texas A&M (43)
4. Washington (31)
5. Illinois (29.5)
6. Stanford (29)
7. South Carolina (28)
8. Arkansas (26)
9. New Mexico (25)
T-10. Oregon (23)
T-10. Texas (23) 
 

EUGENE, ORE. – Mena Scatchard earned Second Team All-American honors and Georgina Scoot became an All-American Honorable Mention as the Tigers closed out competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday in Eugene. 

In the 1500m final, Scatchard raced hard, kicking out several runners in the final 200m to clock in at 4:11.04 for ninth place overall. 

The performance capped off an incredible career for the Tiger who graduated last month, while adding “Second Team All-American” to Scatchard’s long list of accolades at Princeton. 

Scatchard now concludes her career in the Orange & Black as an NCAA runner-up, a two-time All-American, eight-time Ivy Champion, and the record holder in eight events across indoor and outdoor track. 

Scoot took to Hayward Field again to compete in the triple jump after earning Second Team All-American honors in the long jump on Thursday.

She cleared 12.56m/41-2½” to be named an All-American Honorable Mention. This trip to Eugene marked Scoot’s second NCAA appearance, and it capped off a dominant season that saw Scoot win two Ivy titles at Heps to become the Ivy League Most Outstanding Field Performer. 

As the Tigers finish their time out West, they close out the 2024-25 year with much success to look back on both as individuals and as a team, including a historic third Ivy League Triple Crown and multiple All-Americans. 

 

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Laura Pellicoro delivered a record-breaking performance in the women’s 800-meter final at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships this evening at Hayward Field, clocking 2:00.84 to place seventh overall and earn First Team All-American honors.

Pellicoro shattered her own school record and personal best in the final, capping off a historic season among the top mid-distance runners in the nation. The Italy native becomes one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history, earning All-American recognition across cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.

A three-time Cross Country All-American (2022, 2023, 2024), Pellicoro was also named to the All-Region Team and earned First Team All-WCC honors every year from 2022 to 2024. She was the 2022 WCC Co-Runner of the Year and a two-time WCC All-Academic First Team selection. As a sophomore, she was honored with the Fr. Chester Prusynski Student-Athlete of the Year award for her outstanding contributions both athletically and academically.

In indoor track, Pellicoro made history at the 2025 UW Preview, where she ran the fastest collegiate women’s 1,000-meter time ever recorded (2:37.04). She also set school records in the mile (4:25.60), 800m (2:00.92), and now holds five indoor school records across the 600m, 800m, 1000m, mile, and 3000m. She was named to the 2025 Bowerman Watch List, becoming the first Pilot ever to earn the honor, and was recognized as the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week in January. Pellicoro is a three-time NCAA indoor mile qualifier (2023–2025) and a three-time Second Team All-American indoors (2022, 2024, 2025).

Internationally, she claimed gold in the 800 meters at the 2023 World University Games, further establishing herself as a world-class competitor.

Outdoors, Pellicoro previously broke the school 800-meter record at the NCAA Semifinal with a time of 2:01.07 before lowering it again to 2:00.84 in the NCAA final. She made two NCAA Outdoor Championship appearances prior to this year (2022 – 800m; 2023 – 1500m).

The full result of women’s 800-meter final is listed below. 

2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships  

Eugene, Ore. (Hayward Field)  

June 11-14, 2025 

 

Thursday, June 12 

Women’s 800m Semifinal 

1. Michaela Rose, LSU, 1:58.95 Q  

2. Lauren Tolbert, Duke,1:59.39 Q 

3. Makayla Paige, North Carolina,1:59.92 Q 

4. Meghan Hunter, BYU, 1:59.96 Q  

5. Roisin Willis, Stanford, 2:00.33 Q  

6. Smilla Kolbe, North Florida, 2:00.70 q  

7. Laura Pellicoro, Portland, 2:01.07 (2:01.061) q (PR, School Record) 

8. Victoria Bossong, Harvard, 2:01.07 (2:01.063) q 

9. Veronica Hargrave, Indiana, 2:01.54 Q 

 

Friday, June 13 

Men’s 5000m Final, 6:55 PM (PT) 

Matt Strangio, 13:24.14 

 

Saturday, June 14 

Women’s 800m Final

1. Roisin Willis, Stanford, 1:58.13

2. Makayla Paige, North Carolina,1:58.97

3. Meghan Hunter, BYU, 1:59.03

4. Michaela Rose, LSU, 1:59.47

5. Lauren Tolbert, Duke,1:59.88

6. Smilla Kolbe, North Florida, 2:00.37 

7. Laura Pellicoro, Portland, 2:00.84 (PR, School Record) 

8. Veronica Hargrave, Indiana, 2:01.00

9. Victoria Bossong, Harvard, 2:03.86

---

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MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Graduate student Sarah Tait of the West Virginia University track and field team earned her second career First Team All-American honor at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

Tait soared to a new personal best time of 9:27.80 in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, solidifying her spot at No. 2 all-time in program history. Additionally, she ran 10 seconds faster in the event final than she did in the semifinals on Thursday inside of Hayward Field.

The Edinburg, Scotland, native becomes just the second Mountaineer of all time to earn the First Team All-America accolade in the women’s steeplechase. With the fourth-place finish, she joins her teammate, graduate student Ceili McCabe.

The time was good enough to best the Scottish national record, which has been held by Ellish McColgan since 2013. Tait smashed McColgan’s previous record, 9:35.82, by eight seconds.

With Tait’s finish, the Mountaineers complete the 2024-25 track and field season.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

School is out for summer. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to move on from the year that was.

As our Spring All-Area teams continue to be revealed this week, the 2024-25 athletic calendar remains the subject of TCPalm’s Summer Celebration series, a weekly poll to vote on who are the area’s best programs, athletes, traditions and more from last year and beyond. 

Last week, we wanted to see who was the area’s best boys athlete from the 2024-25 high school calendar. Vero Beach junior pitcher Sebastian Dimitroff won the poll with 47.47% of the vote.

This week, we ask the same question, this time with the girls. The poll is set to close at 12 p.m. Friday.

TCPalm Spring All-Area: Here are the best softball players on the Treasure Coast

TCPalm Spring All-Area: Here are the best flag football players on the Treasure Coast

TCPalm Spring All-Area: Here are the best in girls track and field on the Treasure Coast

Without further ado, it’s time to punch in the votes and continue enjoying the summer.

Hailey Brereton, St. Lucie West Centennial soccer and softball

Year: Senior

Brereton was the backup goalkeeper for an Eagles soccer team that finished with a 10-7 record. However, she’s a nominee because of her work on the softball field. The Murray State signee paced all local pitchers with 227 strikeouts and an .144 opponents batting average.  while boisting a record of an 11-4 record and a 1.74 ERA.

What helped Brereton win TCPalm’s Softball Player of the Year was her strong pitching campaign combined with her work at the plate. After hitting just two home runs through her first three seasons, the senior went deep four times. She added six doubles, two triples, 24 RBIs, batted .429 and compiled a 1.392 OPS.

Emerson Brinn, South Fork cross country and track and field

Year: Junior

Brinn started her junior season by being named TCPalm’s Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year after she claimed eighth in the Class 3A state championship meet with a personal-best time of 18:43.8. She ended her year with an All-Area First Team selection in track and field thanks to winning a district title and third-place state finish in the 1,600-meter run.  

Ivy Cooper, Fort Pierce Central volleyball

Year: Senior

Cooper was not only viewed as the area’s best prospect but her talent has caught the attention of plenty across the state and country. The senior captain was named an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, which recognizes her as one of the top 250 players in the United States. The Virginia Tech signee put up 355 digs, 75 assists, 39 kills and 39 service aces during the 2024-25 season.  

Kha’Lyah Delva, Fort Pierce Central wrestling

Year: Senior

The Cobras senior capped her career with back-to-back state runner up finishes. Delva started the season at 155 pounds before making the switch to 145 at the start of the calendar year. The change didn’t slow her down as she claimed district and regional titles en route to a 40-2 record. 

Valerie Gomez, Jensen Beach tennis

Year: Senior

When you suffer your first singles defeat at the final match of the season, you’ve had an exemplary campaign. Gomez was comfortably the area’s best player as her performance propelled the Falcons to the Class 3A state championship match. There, she lost to Nease No. 1 Kylie Kochis in straight sets to wrap up her singles season at 14-1.

Gomez had similar success at doubles competition alongside sophomore Domenica Ayleen Monserrate. The duo went 11-1 together, winning their first 10 matches after taking a loss against St. Thomas Aquinas’ top pairing in the state semifinals. She was a state qualifier in both singles and doubles competition after winning District 14-3A titles. Gomez will play collegiate in Pensacola at the University of West Florida.

Ella Gravlee, Vero Beach volleyball

Year: Sophomore

With Cooper off to Virginia Tech, this rising junior will likely talent over the mantle as the area’s best volleyball prospect. Blasting shots from the middle of the floor or any area at the net, the 6-foot-3 Gravlee and her powerful, precise swings made her the area’s most intimidating presence. She used her power and shot variety to lead all local players with 336 kills. Gravlee had six matches of 20 or more kills, including a 23-kill effort during the team’s regional semifinal win over Olympia. 

Jada Mosley, Vero Beach weightlifting

Year: Senior

Mosley was yet another dominant lifter to come out of Vero, becoming the eighth champion in program history after claiming the Olympic title at the 199-pound weight class in the Class 3A state meet. The senior won the crown with total lifts of 385 pounds. She later backed that up with a runner-up state finish in traditional competition. Prior to state, Mosley swept through districts and regionals.

Taylor-Nicole Overton, Vero Beach track and field

Year: Sophomore

Overton concluded her first season in Vero by doing something the program hasn’t seen in 23 years. The sophomore became the program’s first track state champion, winning the 400-meter dash in a personal-record time of 53.19 seconds at the Class 4A state meet. She outpaced Fletcher’s Zyaire Thomas by 0.05 seconds.

Overton wasn’t done as she placed second in the 200 (23.99), 10th in the 100 (12.22) and helped Vero’s 1,600-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish. She swept the four events at districts and regionals.

Adrienne Rivera, Fort Pierce Central flag football

Year: Senior

For the third consecutive season, this Cobras quarterback is TCPalm’s Flag Football Offensive Player of the Year. It’s hard to argue that anyone else was more deserving as Rivera set career highs in completion percentage (68%) and quarterback rating (122.8) while tying her career best of 60 touchdown passes and throwing for a career-low 16 interceptions.

She led the area with 4,524 passing yards while adding 595 yards and 15 more scores through the running game. Following a legendary prep career, Rivera has signed to play collegiately at Keiser.

Ellie Smith, Vero Beach volleyball

Year: Senior 

Starting all four years of her varsity career, Smith saved her finest campaign for her last en route to being named TCPalm’s Volleyball Player of the Year.

The captain and leader of the Treasure Coast’s best team, the 5-foot-7 setter topped the area with 708 assists and averaged 9.8 assists per set. She also added 135 digs, 24 aces and 15 blocks. Smith will play collegiately at Northern Illinois. 

Savannah Tatum, South Fork flag football and soccer

Year: Senior

Tatum was a star for both on a Bulldogs soccer team that captured a district title and a Bulldogs flag football team that enjoyed an eight-game improvement.

On the pitch, she recorded an assist in 14 games to lead the area with 25 assists while pouring in 13 goals. Tatum was even better on the football field as the senior threw for 2,152 yards, 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while rushing for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Giovanna Waksman, Pine soccer

Year: Sophomore

It wasn’t simply that she ran circles around opponents or that she smashed the Knights’ all-time record books while facing constant double and triple teams, Waksman’s production was elite even by national standards. According to MaxPreps, the sophomore led the country with a whopping 87 goals and 188 points. She appeared in every match, averaging 4.6 goals and 9.9 points per game to lead the program to its first state title game appearance.

Her success directly impacted whether or not Pine went home victorious or in defeat as the Knights were 16-0-1 in matches where Waksman scored and 0-2 in matches she didn’t. Beyond uncanny dribbling skills and tremendous ability to send missiles off either foot, the Brazilian star is a particularly intelligent player willing to deliver beautiful balls to a teammate making a run. The sophomore had a team-best 14 assists.

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Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com. 

EUGENE, Ore. (June 14, 2025) – Howard University women’s track & field program concluded its outdoor campaign at the NCAA Championships in Euguene, Ore., hosted by the University of Oregon, with outstanding Bison earning All-American status.
 
Graduates Kailei Collins (Houston) and Marcia Sey (London, United Kingdom), senior Tiffani-Rae Pittman (Bowie, Md.) and sophomore Aiyana Gray-Williams (Winston-Salem, N.C.) began Day Four with a sixth-place finish in the 4×100 relay, clocking in at 43.23. The four Bison earned All-American First Team honors, becoming the first All-American 4×100 relay squad in program history.
 
USC won the 4×100 relay race with a 42.22 mark.
 
Individually, Sey had her best performance in a Bison uniform, winning bronze in the 100-meter hurdles with a 12.93 time. Her third-place finish is the highest in program history. Additionally, the British native received All-American First Team honors.
 
Oregon’s Aaliyah McCormick won the short hurdles, producing a 12.81 mark.
 

Howard Director of Track & Field David Oliver and the Bison wrapped up another success season, winning a pair of MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) crowns during the indoor and outdoor campaigns.
 
HU looks to defend both crowns for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.