May 25, 2007

Gainesville, Fla. – South Carolina’s defending NCAA 200m champion will not have a chance to defend her title after all as junior Shalonda Solomon withdrew from the prelims of the 200m at the NCAA East Region Championship due to injury. She was the 100m and 200m NCAA East Region champion in 2006.

Solomon has a strained left quad and did not run the prelims. Earlier in the day she finished 11th overall when she ran an 11.70 to finish second in her heat of the 100m.

She is still eligible to run at the NCAA Championship, but that is a decision that will be made next week.

“Shalonda’s been struggling all year and she’s one of the world’s best so this was a difficult decision,” said USC head coach Curtis Frye. “It will be difficult for us to finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships without her because she is a vital part of our team. It’s also a difficult thing for our kids to overcome today, but we will pull it together.”

“I didn’t want to finish my season this way,” said Solomon. “I wanted a chance to defend my NCAA title outdoors and it won’t happen. My season isn’t over – I plan to continue to rehab, revisit the doctors and pray for the best. It was a very difficult decision because I wanted to give it my all for my teammates, but many of them have stepped up today.”