PRESS RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS – Three University of North Georgia track & field athletes were announced as qualifiers in the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championships Tuesday afternoon.

Abigail Kirkland

Journey Gurley, Bree Hammond and Abigail Kirkland were three of the 283 women announced as qualifiers for the event, taking place May 27-29 at the Grand Valley State Track & Field Stadium. All three were Peach Belt champions in the event they qualified in and are the first national qualifiers in the program’s history.

Bree Hammond

Gurley earned qualification in the pole vault and is seeded second in the event, having cleared a mark of 4.33 meters, just .02 meters behind the nation’s top seed out of Washburn. She is scheduled to compete for the national championship May 27 starting at 5:45 p.m.

Hammond will compete for the 3000 meter steeplechase crown and comes into the event as the 11th seed with a season best time of 10:37.25. The steeplechase will be contested May 28 at 6:20 p.m.

Journey Gurley

Kirkland earned a spot in the 400 with a time of 54.90, putting her as the ninth seed in the event. Prelims for the one-lap sprint will be May 27 at 5:55 p.m. with the championship race slated for May 29 at 6:05 p.m.
Heat sheets will be released on Monday, May 24. The championships will be streamed live on NCAA.com.