Pieces to an elaborately planned puzzle have arrived in Athens.

Georgia track and field welcomed eight transfers for the 2010 season. Clockwise from the left: Allen Brandon (Ohio State), Alesha Asijie (Red Mountain), Nikola Lomnicka (Clemson), Aaron Evans (Memphis), LaTroya Darrell (Central Arizona) and Cory Holman (Rend Lake). Photo by JON-MICHAEL SULLIVAN

The different pieces were delivered from various locations all across the country — from South Carolina out to Arizona. Their arrival marks the ongoing commitment to one distinct purpose — winning a championship.

Georgia track and field received a large influx of talented transfers this past offseason, which has translated into immediate effect during the early stages of this indoor season. One promise drove each of these accomplished athletes to Georgia’s doorstep — the promise of more.

“For me, I wanted to be in a better conference and the SEC is by far one of the best conferences in the nation,” said sophomore Aaron Evans, a transfer from the University of Memphis. “Now I’m running against better people, with better coaches, and in better facilities since the resources here at Georgia are just endless.”

In addition to Evans, who won the 800-meter dash at the Kentucky Invitational in his debut, two other new Bulldogs left NCAA programs to compete in Athens.

Sophomores Nikola Lomnicka (Clemson) and Allen Brandon (Ohio State) also transferred from programs of high athletic pedigree.

BEN DAVIES

Lomnicka kick-started her Bulldog career with NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the weight throw in the season’s first three meets.

Her personal-best mark (65 feet, 10.25 inches) came at the Virginia Tech Elite meet and launched her into the No. 3 spot in the all-time Georgia record books.

Former Buckeye Brandon has delivered positive results at every meet as well, notching the fifth-best mark in the pole vault in school history en route to three top-five finishes.

Junior college standouts LaTroya Darrell (Central Arizona) and Cory Holman (Rend Lake) add even more weight to a bulky transfer class. Holman burst onto the heptathlon scene at the Razorback Invitational by scoring 5,527 points to place himself at No. 2 in the school record books behind teammate Tommy Barrineau. Similarly, Darrell earned a NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump at the Hokie Invitational, one week after winning the event in Lexington, Ky.

MICHAEL AYERS

Along with Holman and Darrell from the junior college ranks came transfer Alesha Asijie out of Red Mountain in Mesa, Ariz., where Asijie claimed the 2009 NJCAA hammer throw title. Since coming to Athens, the junior placed second in the weight throw (60, 3.25) at the Hokie Invitational.

Exemplified by their placement at the highly competitive meets, as well as in the school record books, these fresh faces came in ready-made packages and looked to contribute the moment they set foot on campus.

“Those [transfer] kids, it’s just a little bit easier to coach immediately,” said assistant coach Petros Kyprianou, who serves as the Bulldogs proficient recruiting coordinator. “You can basically speak the same language with them because they have been through all this for at least one year. It is definitely huge for us.”

Even more worrisome for Georgia’s opponents is that the best may be yet to come.

Highly touted transfers Michael Ayers and Ben Davies will not be able to compete this season due to league rules. With Ayers and Davies transferring from Tennessee and Florida, respectively, rules state that athletes switching schools within the SEC conference must sit out for one year.

Ayers was a two-time All-American in the decathlon for the Volunteers, while Davies was rated as the No. 1 decathlete in the nation coming out of high school.

The force of this dynamic recruiting class may not be fully felt until 2011, which happens to fit right into a farsighted plan set by Georgia’s coaches.

“Our ultimate goal is to showcase all of these kids next year when we host the SEC Championships,” said Kyprianou. “This has been a long process, it has been three years that this coaching staff has been putting this team together so that we can present our best possible team at home.”

As for the present, the effects of each of Georgia track and field’s newest Bulldogs should offer plenty in 2010.

Success is not out of the question for a team with such talent, and the current squad believes the improvements will mirror results.

“We can score at the SEC [Championships] and all of the other meets coming up this year, so we are going to be pretty good,” Lomnicka said.

An ample amount of time — and luck — was put into collecting all of these necessary parts, now the only objective left is to piece it all together.

As with all good puzzles, some assembly is required.