April 3, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Saturday was the day for the marquee events – the relays – at the Pepsi Florida Relays, and South Carolina held up strong with top finishes on the men’s and women’s sides.

The women’s 4x100m relay team of Lakya Brookins, Breehana Jacobs, Shayla Mahan and Gabrielle Glenn ran 44.23 to take first place among collegiate teams and move into the national top five. The 4x200m relay team of Brookins, Glenn, Brandi Cross and Tatianna Fisher placed sixth at 1:35.82. In the final relay event, Brandi Cross, Jacobs, Porche Byrd and Nadonnia Rodrigues ran 3:35.62 in the 4x400m relay to place fifth overall. The Gamecocks also competed in the sprint medley relay as Delaney, Young, Byrd and Sierra Henderson ran 3:57.28 to take fifth.

In the men’s relays, the Gamecocks took third in the 4x200m and 4x400m. In the 4x200m relay, Carolina ran 1:22.69 with a team of Andre Carter, Antonio Sales, Johnny Dutch and Obakeng Ngwigwa. The 4x400m relay team (Ngwigwa, Johnny Dutch, Booker Nunley, Aaron Anderson) ran 3:06.66. South Carolina’s team of Dutch, Ngwigwa, Nunley and Sales took sixth in the 4x100m relay at 39.94. In the sprint medley relay, Chris Maxwell, David Wilkins, Aaron Anderson and Scott Pierce placed fifth at 3:24.35.

In other events, Sophomore Beatrice Biwott ran a personal best 10:42.85 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to claim fourth in the event. Biwott, an NCAA East Region qualifier last year in the steeplechase, improved her school record mark by six seconds with her run.

Senior Aimee Kodat took seventh in the discus throw at 154-6 (47.10m) to lead the Gamecock field event athletes. Stacee Roberts, Katie Vuckovich and Breanna Radford went 13-14-15 in the shot put, and pole vaulters Sallie Gurganus and Allie Nicosia tied for 14th with a clearance of 12’0 (3.66m).

Men’s vaulters Elliott Haynie, Marvin Reitze and Matt Shuler each cleared 16’6 ¾ (5.05m) to tie for ninth in the pole vault. Junior Michael Zajac placed second among collegians in the hammer throw at 64.31m, and senior Jeff Merkt took eighth in the discus throw at 49.81m.

“We ran without Quentin Moore in the relays and still ran well,” South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “We feel like we had a great day. The girls did a good job too, to run top five in the country.”

Carolina returns home Wednesday to host the Gamecock Open Meet, the final meet to be held at Weems Baskin Track this year.