Georgia’s Kulichenko, Morales Williams Earn USTFCCCA South Region Honors

ATHENS, Ga. – Bulldog junior Elena Kulichenko has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Outdoor Women’s Field Athlete of the Year while sophomore Christopher Morales Williams has garnered Men’s Track Athlete of the Year honors, according to an announcement Friday.

Kulichenko is the eighth Lady Bulldog to earn this accolade and first since Jasmine Moore in 2021. Morales Williams, who was also the indoor South Region Runner of the Year, gives the Georgia men back-to-back winners after NCAA champion Will Sumner won the award in 2023. The Bulldogs now have three of these honors in history.

Kulichenko, a native of Odintsovo, Russia, cleared a Cypriot, school and meet record mark of 1.97 meters/6 feet, 5 ½ inches to win the Georgia women their first NCAA high jump title since 2017. The performance boosted her to the No. 4 all-time collegiate performer and put her No. 7 on the 2024 world list. Kulichenko reached a facility record 1.95m/6-4.75 mark to win Southeastern Conference high jump championship a month before NCAAs. She won six of seven outdoor meets in 2024, hitting at least 1.84m/6-0.50 at all seven meets, including three at 1.93m/6-4 or better.

Morales Williams, a native of Vaughn, Ontario, won Georgia’s first NCAA 400m outdoor title with a time of 44.47 last weekend. He set the Canadian, school, meet and facility record with a 44.05 to win SEC 400m championship to start the postseason. Not only did this complete the indoor-outdoor SEC sweep for Morales Williams, but his time at the SEC Outdoor Championships made him the No. 6 all-time collegiate performer. The current world leader in the 400m also ran on 4x100m relay team that qualified out of the NCAA East Prelims.

While the collegiate season is now complete, a number of Bulldogs are expected to compete at a variety of summer meets to attempt to qualify for this summer’s Olympics in Paris. The track and field portion of the Games will run from Aug. 1-11. The U.S. Trials will be in Eugene, Ore., on June 21-30.

Nate Barrett/Nate Barrett Photography