Johannes Erm takes over world lead, in addition to elevating to No. 2 in Bulldogs history, leading sweep of top three spots with Karel Tilga and Kyle Garland; Jasmine Moore produces personal best in triple jump for Georgia, with Texas’ Kennedy Simon and Florida’s Raymond Ekevwo also achieving collegiate-leading marks

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Georgia narrowly missed making collegiate history Saturday at the Razorback Invitational by having three athletes all score more than 6,000 points in the men’s indoor heptathlon.

But the Bulldogs still sent a message to the rest of the multi-event athletes across the country that the possibility of Georgia sweeping the top three spots in the heptathlon at the NCAA Division 1 final March 13-14 is indeed a real one.

Reigning Division 1 outdoor decathlon champion Johannes Erm took over the world lead in the indoor heptathlon, accumulating a personal-best 6,114 points. Sophomore Karel Tilga placed second with 6,019 points and redshirt freshman Kyle Garland took third in his collegiate heptathlon debut with 5,994 points.

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Erm surpassed training partner and former Georgia standout Garrett Scantling, who accumulated 6,110 points Jan. 24-25 in Kentucky. Erm elevated to the No. 2 performer in Bulldogs history, trailing only Devon Williams at 6,177 points, and ascended to the No. 11 all-time collegiate indoor heptathlete.

Tilga now ranks sixth in Georgia history and the No. 22 all-time collegiate indoor performer, with Garland at seventh all-time for the Bulldogs and No. 25 in collegiate indoor history.

Georgia also received a strong performance from freshman Jasmine Moore, who achieved a personal-best 45-7.25 (13.90m) in the second round in the women’s triple jump.

Moore ascended to the No. 2 freshman in both Georgia and NCAA Division 1 indoor history, trailing only collegiate record holder Keturah Orji, who boasts the American U-20 record at 45-10.50 (13.98m).

Oregon sophomore Lexi Ellis produced a personal-best 44-6 (13.56m) to rank second in program history and No. 2 collegiately this season behind Moore and fourth among Americans. Moore ranks No. 14 in collegiate indoor history and Ellis is 40th.

Texas sophomore Kennedy Simon took over the collegiate lead in the women’s invitational 400 by clocking a personal-best 52.20 seconds.

Simon and fellow sophomore Jonathan Jones swept the invitational 400 races for the Longhorns. Jones clocked 46.04, in addition to helping Texas win the 4x400 in 3:07.85 to clinch the team title with 79 points.

Florida senior Raymond Ekevwo won the men’s 60-meter dash in a collegiate-leading 6.53 seconds, with Texas sophomore Julien Alfred – already the collegiate women’s leader at 7.10 – running 7.15.

LSU swept the 60-meter hurdles, with sophomore Eric Edwards Jr. running a personal-best 7.66 in the men’s race and senior Tonea Marshall, already the national leader at 7.86, clocking 7.92 to prevail in the women’s race to help the Tigers capture the women’s team title with 96 points.

Oregon secured victories in both 800-meter races, with seniors James West (1:49.69) and Susan Ejore (2:04.77) earning narrow wins.

Senior Jackson Mestler added another triumph for the Ducks, clocking 7:58.89 in the men’s 3,000. Meet host Arkansas earned its only win in the women’s 3,000, with Abby Gray (9:16.98) rallying on the final lap to overtake Georgia junior Jessica Drop (9:18.64).

Following victories Friday as part of their respective program’s distance medley relay lineups, Oregon’s Cooper Teare and Stanford’s Ella Donaghu added individual wins in the invitational mile.

Donaghu (4:33.71) and sophomore teammate Jessica Lawson (4:35.56) took the top two spots in the women’s mile, with Teare running 4:00.21 to prevail in the men’s mile.

Texas picked up a pair of men’s field-event victories, with senior O’Brien Wasome winning the men’s triple jump with a leap of 53-9 (16.38m) in the second round and Adrian Piperi producing a third-round mark of 66-3.25 (20.20m) in the shot put.

Oklahoma senior Mela Gordon won the women’s shot put with a fifth-round effort of 53-4.25 (16.26m) and Florida earned its only women’s victory of the meet by clocking 3:33.31 in the 4x400 relay.