FAYETTEVILLE -- Florida sophomore Anna Hall, Georgia junior Kyle Garland and former Bulldog Garrett Scantling did the SEC proud at the USA Track and Field Combined Events Championships on Saturday at John McDonnell Field.
Hall won the heptathlon with 6,458 points and Garland set a collegiate decathlon record with 8,720 points in taking second behind Scantling, who won his second consecutive U.S. title with 8,867 points.
"It's so cool for the SEC," Garland said of Georgia and Florida dominating at the USA meet. "It brings a lot of swag to the SEC."
Garland broke the collegiate record of 8,528 points set by University of Arkansas sophomore Ayden Owens at the Mount San Antonio College Relays on April 15.
That score qualified Owens to represent Puerto Rico -- for which he has citizenship because his mother was born there -- for the World Championships that will be held July 15-24 in Eugene, Ore.
Scantling, Garland and Saturday's third-place finisher Zachery Aiemak (8,573) also qualified for the World Championships, which has a standard of 8,350. Hall qualified for the World Championships as well.
Owens won the men's heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships with 6,211 points to edge Garland, who was second with 6,200.
Garland said he's looking forward to competing against Owens again in the decatholon at the NCAA Championships in Eugene.
"I knew it was a possibility," Garland said of settling the collegiate record. "I really had to stay calm, stay relaxed and know what I was capable of doing. I put together just about a perfect decathlon for myself. I'm absolutely ecstatic.
"I have so much respect for Ayden. To share the stage with a guy like that for years and years to come is absolutely incredible."
Scantling began Saturday running a personal best 13.59 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles. He also set personal bests in the discus (167 feet, 5 inches) and pole vault (16-10 3/4) and threw the javelin 220-4 despite having an oblique injury he suffered three weeks ago.
"I wore a brace [for the throwing events] to help my body stay in one piece," Scantling said. "Mentally it was a lot. I'm proud of myself the way I handled it."
Garland hâd personal bests in the 110 hurdles (13.71), pole vault (15-11), javelin (195-7) and 1,500 (4:43.71)
"Kyle is just incredible, a great young talent," Scantling said. "I'm super proud of him to carry on that Georgia legacy, because that's the best decathlon program in the nation."
Hall clinched the heptathlon title by running 2:03.11 in the 800 after earlier Saturday she long jumped 20-11 3/4 and threw the javelin 126-1.
"I'm on Cloud Nine," Hall said. "It still really hasn't set in yet that I won.
"I feel a lot of relief to be done and that I hit the standard. I'm just really excited and proud and ready for Worlds."
Hall's USA title came nine months after she underwent surgery in July for a broken bone in her left foot she suffered after falling during the 100 hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.
"It was a gut check," Hall said of recovering mentally and physically. "I had to remember why I really love this sport.
"I had to do a lot of rehab, and making this [USA] team was definitely a very big motivator through all of that. It made me grow up as an athlete."
Former Razorback Taliyah Brooks, the 2018 NCAA pentathlon champion, wasn't able to finish the heptathlon after aggravating a right foot injury during the long jump Saturday. She finished with 4,291 points after being fourth through Friday's first four events.
"It sucks that's how the hep had to end, at home especially," Brooks said. "It's so frustrating when you have people here cheering for you and you can't finish the meet."
Brooks said that after resting today, she hopes to resume practice Monday and compete at a meet in Gotzis, Austria, on May 28-29 to try to get a qualifying mark for the World Championships.
"It was good work for me just to get out there and go through the events," Brooks said of the USA Championships. "I think it did benefit me, as much as I'd like to be upset about it. Some good things did come out of it."
Mat Clark, the strength and conditioning coach for Arkansas' men's and women's cross country and track and field teams, pulled his left hamstring in the pole vault and wasn't able to finish the decathlon. He scored 5,413 points in eight events to take 13th place.
"It was fun to go out and compete with the younger guys," said Clark, who turns 35 on May 31. "It was a blast to be a part of it."