EUGENE, Ore. — Less than 48 hours after turning 24, UGA track and field’s Marc Minichello won his second national championship in his career.
The graduate’s score of 80.70 meters was over a meter further than his competitors, capturing a dominant victory in Eugene, Oregon. This is Minichello’s second national title, as he won one with Penn back in 2022.
Minichello was a finalist for the title last season, but couldn’t net a win in his first season with the Bulldogs. He placed fourth that year, but has bounced back in his second year in Athens.
The West Pittston, Pennsylvania native earned his second straight SEC title in May, and added a third expected First Team All-America certificate Wednesday evening. Minichello has now won four different events this season.
His first toss went 78.33 meters. While this score would’ve placed him sixth in the event, he launched his second attempt and scored a dominant score to separate himself from the pack.
Minichello’s efforts have been key for the Bulldogs surging to second place in the men’s NCAA outdoor championships. Georgia is currently six points behind first-place USC and half a point ahead of Cal.
Graduate transfer and fellow thrower Alex Kolesnikoff placed sixth in the men's shot put with a throw of 19.70m. The Strathfield, Australia native’s throw was about a meter less than shot put national champion, Ole Miss’ Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan.
The former Harvard thrower did record an expected outdoor First Team All-America certificate in shot put, and netted another three points for the Bulldogs' score.
Christopher Morales Williams, the NCAA Indoor champion in the 400 meter, qualified for the final in the Outdoor 400 meter race. His 44.96 time was first in the heat.
Georgia’s day one set the team up for success, but several players on the women’s team will compete today on day two of the competition.