EUGENE, Ore. -- Buoyed by top performances in the hammer throw, high jump and 400 meters, the Georgia women's track and field squad distanced itself from the opposition and cruised to its first outdoor national championship Saturday.
Georgia lapped the field with 73 points ahead of runner-up USC (47) and third-place Texas A&M (43). Fourth-year Bulldogs coach Caryl Smith Gilbert won national titles at USC in 2018 and 2021.
Olympic gold medalist Aaliyah Butler and Dejanea Oakley took the first two spots in the 400 meters with Butler posting a 49.26 and Oakley a 49.65. Butler's time was the fifth-best all time for a collegian, and Oakley's was eighth.
The Bulldogs expanded their lead when Elena Kulichenko won the high jump after tying for the title last year. The Odessa, Russia, native won with a jump of 6 feet, 5 inches.
Michelle Smith, a freshman, finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at 55.20 to clinch the team title. Skylynn Townsend took sixth in the triple jump at 44-4¼.
Georgia ended the night by finishing first in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:23.62 as Butler took the lead in the final leg.
The Bulldogs entered competition Saturday in the lead with 26 points after Stephanie Ratcliffe won the hammer throw Thursday with a nation-leading distance of 234 feet, 2 inches.
Washington and USC shared the lead earlier Saturday night after Washington's Sophie O'Sullivan won the 1,500 meters and USC's Samirah Moody won the 100, but Georgia got 18 points from Butler and Oakley and never looked back.
Georgia also got points in the javelin with a second-place finish from freshman Manuela Rotundo and a fourth-place finish from Lianna Davidson. Senior Keslie Murrell-Ross finished sixth in the shot put.