April 8, 2008

Gearing up for championship season, South Carolina will host its final outdoor meet of the year on Wed., April 9 at the Weems Baskin Track and Field Facility. Admission is free.

The meet with feature a number of South Carolina’s All-Americans and the following schools: Coker College, Francis Marion, Limestone College, Morris College and Savannah State.

The field events begin at 12:30 pm with the hammer and the track events begin at 4 pm with the women’s 3000m steeplechase where USC school-record holder Lisa McKinney will continue to lower her own school record set last week (11:46.99). The meet will conclude at 8:10 pm with the men’s 4x400m relay.

South Carolina will travel to Athens, Ga., this weekend for the Spec Towns Relays before taking next weekend off to rest for the Penn Relays the next weekend (April 24-26).

The Gamecocks won four events, posting 10 regional qualifiers at Auburn’s Tiger Classic. Lisa McKinney chopped 17 seconds off her own school record in the 3000m steeplechase with a winning time of 11:46.99. In addition, senior Jason Richardson set a facility record and ran the second-fastest time in the world this year in the 110m hurdles. The NCAA Regional Championships are in Tallahassee, Fla., in late May. Richardson ran a 13.45 to break the facility record (formerly 13.55 in 2007) to win the 110m hurdles. His time is also a regional qualifier and a season-best time.