Georgia Bulldogs Track and Field

The Georgia Bulldogs track and field team has experienced several events proceeding its 2008 season which begins in February. The first of which is former Georgia Bulldog track and field head coach John Mitchell was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Under Mitchell, who ran the team from 1990-1999, the Georgia Bulldogs track and field women’s team won their first Southeastern Conference Championship in 1995 and the team placed second in the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2006.

Just prior to the Georgia Bulldogs track and field starting season, the team will hold 9th annual Georgia Throws Clinic which will feature lectures, demonstrations, drills, and discussions with the 2007 World Shot Put Champion Reese Hoffa, who also won an All-American five times, as well as Rhuben Williams and Chad McClendon.

The event will involve information on shot put techniques, weight training, mental training and conditioning. Don Babbitt, the Georgia Bulldog track and field throws coach, has 23 NCAA Championships, 15 USATF National Championships, and 87 All-American players in his time at Georgia Bulldog track and field team.

In addition, Babbitt was voted 2003 USTCA Men’s Throw Coach of the Year and 2007 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA East Regional Throw Coach of the Year. .



The former Georgia Bulldogs track and field Reese Hoffa, also part of the Georgia Throws Clinic and who won the 2001 Southeastern Conference shot put title, threw a record breaking 72’3.75” at the IAFF World Championship in Osaka, Japan. Hoffa’s throw was the fourth longest at the competition and gave him another leg up for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Adding to his record, the former Georgia Bulldog track and field athlete took home the 2006 World Indoor Championship and is the number one ranked shot putter in the world. .

A more recent Georgia Bulldogs track and field team member, Levern Spencer, broke the school record in high jump recently and also was able to make it to the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. The school record for high jump was 6”4.25’. Not only did Spencer place 3rd at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in high jump but was also runner-up at the indoor meet as well as is tied for the school record with fellow Georgia Bulldog track and field team member Patricia Sylvester.

Several other former Georgia Bulldog track and field team athletes were at the World Championships, including Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, a four time NCAA champion in 1995-1996 and 1998-1999 while being apart of the Georgia Bulldog track and field team, and Jennifer Dahlgren, a recent June graduate who has eight All-American honors and three NCAA titles.

Though Dahlgren made an attempt at gaining a title in the hammer throw event, her score of 215-4 fell short and the former Georgia Bulldog track and field member did not advance to the finals.

With a history of excellence in track and field, the up-and-coming 2008 for the Georgia Bulldog track and field is bound to be an exciting and challenging one.

Check out this Georgia Bulldogs Merchandise and Apparel.

---

What do you think?

We'd love to hear your comments and/or opinions. If you submit them here, other visitors can read them, rate them and comment on them. An e-mail address is not required.

Enter Your Title

Your comments go here. [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your comments is easy to do. Just type!... Your comments/story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload A Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add Picture Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)