By Leland Barrow

UGA Athletics

EUGENE, Ore. — Georgia senior sprinter Elija Godwin improved his school record in the 400-meter dash final during the third day of the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 25.

Godwin, a native of Covington, Ga., and alumnus of Newton High School, ran a 44.34 out of lane seven to finish fourth and just .17 from the final qualifying spot.  His time topped his previous school record of 44.50 that was set for bronze medal honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier in June.

Junior Matthew Boling also advanced to the 200m semifinal on Saturday.  The Houston, Texas, native was second across the finish line in his heat and fourth overall after recording a 20.11 with a -0.4 meter/second wind.  Boling will now race in the 200m semifinal at 2:30 p.m. ET with the potential of the final coming at 4:34 p.m.

The top three finishers in each event at the USATF Championships advance to the World Athletics Championships, which will also be at Oregon’s Hayward Field on July 15-24.  However, hitting the qualifying standard is also necessary to advance to Worlds.

Junior Kyle Garland has already punched his ticket to the World Championships after earning a silver medal in the decathlon at the USATF Combined Events Championships in May.  During that meet at the University of Arkansas, The Bowerman semifinalist and NCAA bronze medal winner exploded for a collegiate record 8,720 points, which is well above the qualifying standard score, and finished behind former Bulldog Garrett Scantling.