Feb. 15, 2007

Weekly Notes in PDF Format
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2007 Gamecock Invitational Schedule in PDF Format
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ON TAP THIS WEEK: The South Carolina men’s and women’s track and field teams will host the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday at the USC Field House in Columbia, S.C. It marks the Gamecocks’ final tune-up before the SEC Indoor Championships over Feb. 23-25 in Lexington, Ky. The Gamecock Invitational begins with the women’s pole vault at 9:30 a.m. Running events start at noon with the women’s 55-meter hurdle prelims.

LAST WEEK’S MEN’S RECAP: South Carolina competed at two meets, the Tyson Invitational and the Tiger Classic, last week. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team posted its fastest time of the season in the invitational division with a time of 3:08.22, its third NCAA provisional time this year. Senior Dan McKenzie tied his PR in the pole vault for the third time this spring, clearing 17-0 3/4 for another provisional mark. He finished tied for seventh at the meet. His clearance is tied for 21st in the NCAA. Thomas Hilliard, IV, was sixth in the prelims at Tyson with a 7.87 time and placed fifth in the finals with a time of 7.91. He has run provisional times in every hurdles race this year.

LAST WEEK’S WOMEN’S RECAP: Shalonda Solomon ran the fastest time in the world this year in the 200m prelims at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., crossing the tape in 22.85. She did not run in the finals. Natasha Hastings, who has the best collegiate time in the 400m at 51.70, ran strong in the 200m in Fayetteville. She ran 23.48 in the prelims and cut her time to a PR 23.39 in the finals to finish in fifth place. She has four provisional times in the 200 this year. In the 400m at Tyson, Stephanie Smith posted her best time this year with a 53.58 clocking that gave her second place. The Gamecocks’ 4x400m team stayed unbeaten in 2007, edging LSU for the second week in a row at the Tyson meet. Carolina clocked a time of 3:31.85, its second-fastest this year and third-best in the NCAA, using Smith, Solomon, Brandi Cross and Hastings. The Gamecocks set the standard among the collegiate ranks the previous week with a time of 3:30.95 using Crystal Kantey, Cross, Faraign Giles and Hastings. Some members of the Gamecocks’ women’s squad competed at the Tiger Classic in Clemson, S.C., last week as well. Highlights for the women included Casey Gale running South Carolina’s best time in the mile this year at 5:02.49 and Sallie Gurganus and Liza Todd recording their best clearances in the pole vault at 11-11 3/4.

WORLD-CLASS SPEED: Junior Shalonda Solomon recorded the fastest time in the world this year in the 200-meter dash during the prelims of the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 10. Solomon sped to a 22.85 finish, the third-best indoor time of her collegiate career. Her top time is 22.57, which came in the finals of the NCAA Indoor Championships last year. One of Solomon’s goals this year is to break the collegiate record in the 200, which is currently 22.43 by Veronica Campbell of Arkansas set at the 2004 NCAA Championships. The American record was established in 2003 by Michelle Collins (22.18) and the world record held by Merlene Ottey of Jamaica was set in 1993 at 21.87.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS FOR THE MEN: The Gamecock men have a pair of All-Americans on the roster this season with redshirt senior Jonathan Fortenberry and junior Jason Richardson. Fortenberry has been hampered by an Achilles’ heel injury each of the past three seasons but is hoping to finish his career on a high note. He owns six All-America citations and was a member of the 4x400m relay team that won the 2002 NCAA outdoor championship. Richardson’s four All-America awards have come as a result of his work in the hurdles.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS FOR THE WOMEN: Nine women return for 2007 with All-America credentials. Headlining the group is junior Shalonda Solomon, who owns 10 citations in just two years running the sprints and relays. She is the defending NCAA champion in the 200m both indoors and outdoors. Senior Stephanie Smith has eight to her credit and junior Natasha Hastings is a seven-time All-American. Junior Amberly Nesbitt, the 2006 NCAA 100m champion, is a four-time honoree, and senior Chiquita Martin has three to her credit. Redshirt junior Ronnetta Alexander, junior Faraign Giles and redshirt senior Tawana Watkins all have two. Senior Precious Akins earned an All-America award last year in the discus.

PUTTING ON A SHOW FOR THE HOMETOWN CROWD: Junior Natasha Hastings, a native of New York, dazzled the hometown crowd at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational with a 52.12 time in the prelims of the 400-meter dash and then eclipsed that time a day later by running 51.70 to win the event. Her 51.70 time is the fastest time by an American this year, is a personal record and the second-fastest time in Gamecock history. To conclude the meet, Hastings anchored the 4×400-meter relay to a meet and Armory track-record time of 3:30.95. She ran 51.2 on the final leg to edge out LSU. For her efforts, she was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Competitor. The following week, she picked up SEC Runner of the Week honors, becoming the second Gamecock in 2007 to snare the award.

DANDY DOZEN RANKINGS: Trackwire’s Dandy Dozen rankings currently have junior Jason Richardson listed at No. 6 in the nation for the 60m hurdles, and redshirt senior Thomas Hilliard, IV, is ranked No. 12. The Gamecock men’s 4x400m relay is ranked fifth as well. On the women’s side, junior Shalonda Solomon is ranked 10th in the 60 and No. 1 in the 200. Junior Natasha Hastings is No. 1 in the 400 and USC’s 4×400 team holds down the No. 1 position as well. Hastings also is rated eighth in the 200. Senior Stephanie Smith moved up to No. 7 in the 400 after a strong run of 53.58 at the Tyson Invitational.

CLEANING UP WITH THE SEC WEEKLY AWARDS: South Carolina’s women’s program has claimed three of the five SEC Runner of the Week awards so far in 2007. Junior Shalonda Solomon won it after running an automatic NCAA time in the 200 at the Rod McCravy Memorial and then again after clocking the world’s fastest time this year in the 200 with a 22.85 at the Tyson Invitational. She also ran the second leg of Carolina’s 4×400 team that won first with its second automatic time of the year to remain undefeated. Hastings won the honor in week three after winning the 400 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational with a 51.70 time and anchoring the 4×400 squad to a victory in a time of 3:30.95. She was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Competitor.

IN THE POLLS: South Carolina’s women are currently ranked fifth in the latest Trackwire 25 for the second week in a row. The Gamecocks have been as high as fourth in the poll and have not dropped below seventh. Carolina’s men are not among the Trackwire 25 for the first time this year. USC has been as high as 11th in the nation. In the USTFCCCA National Polls, the women sit at No. 4 and the men are ranked 12th.

NCAA CHAMPS ON THIS YEAR’S TEAM: The Gamecocks have three women on this year’s squad who have won NCAA championships. Junior Shalonda Solomon is the defending champ in the 200m for both indoors and outdoors. Classmate Amberly Nesbitt won the 100m last year at the outdoor meet, and senior Stephanie Smith was a member of the 4x400m relay team that won gold at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships. Solomon was a member of the relay as well. On the men’s team, redshirt senior Jonathan Fortenberry won an NCAA title his freshman year in 2002 as the anchor runner of the 4x400m team at the national outdoor meet.

WOMEN LOOK TO EXTEND NCAA STREAKS IN 2007: South Carolina’s women’s track and field program looks to extend its streak of top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships to eight this year. The Gamecocks have earned three runner-up trophies at the national indoors (2000, 2001, 2003) and placed 10th last season. Outdoors, the women hope to make it 12 straight top-10 finishes. Carolina won the school’s first and only NCAA team championship in 2002, and the women placed second once. In 2006, South Carolina recorded a third-place finish and was just a half-point shy of tying for second. The Gamecocks were third one other time in 2003.

RICHARDSON LOOKS FOR GOLD: Junior Jason Richardson is looking for his first gold medal in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships this year. As a freshman in 2005, Richardson finished third and he did likewise in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Richardson was unlucky at last year’s indoor meet, clipping a hurdle late in the finals, then falling and not finishing the race. He took the bronze medal in the short hurdles for the outdoor campaign as well.

ALL-AMERICA COUNT: A total of 51 Gamecock men have earned the distinction of All-America, collecting 142 certificates. Terrence Trammell received the most awards during his career with 13. For the women, who did not field a full team until 1993, 43 have received All-America praise a total of 225 times. Demetria Washington has the most with 21 citations, followed by Miki Barber with 20.

THEY’VE COME A LONG WAY: Seniors Dan McKenzie and Thomas Hilliard, IV, have come a long way in their events since first coming to South Carolina. Hilliard actually was a member of the Gamecock men’s soccer team in 2003 and 2004, playing defender. In spring 2005, he joined the track program and has steadily improved as a hurdler every year. He did not even run the short hurdles his first year during the indoor season and his best times as a sophomore were 7.55 and 8.04 for the 55mH and 60mH. This year, his best in the 55mH is 7.24 and for the 60mH 7.80. Hilliard’s tremendous improvement has earned him the respect of being one of the top collegiate hurdlers in the nation. Not to be outdone, McKenzie entered his freshman year having never cleared more than 13 feet in high school. As a freshman, his top clearance was 15-5 and he improved that mark to 16-6 3/4 during his sophomore season. McKenzie’s top vault in 2006 was 17-0 3/4, making him one of just four Gamecocks in school history to clear 17 feet. He has equaled 17-0 3/4 three times this year.

WHERE THEY RANK IN THE NCAA: Looking at where South Carolina’s marks and times rank among the NCAA, the women have the top time in three events. Junior Shalonda Solomon is first in the 200m, classmate Natasha Hastings is No. 1 for the 400m and Carolina’s 4x400m relay is first as well. Solomon also ranks 15th in the 60m and Hastings is ninth for the 200m. Senior Stephanie Smith has the ninth-best time in the 400m, freshman Krystal Cantey is 22nd and rookie Brandi Cross is 25th. Senior Precious Akins is 24th for the 20-pound weight and sophomore Kettiany Clarke is 38th in the pentathlon. On the men’s side, junior Jason Richardson is third in the 60-meter hurdles and redshirt senior Thomas Hilliard, IV, is seventh. The men also have the No. 7 time for the 4x400m. Senior Dan McKenzie holds down the No. 21 spot for the pole vault.