July 5, 2006

Three current Gamecocks and one alumnus have been selected to compete for the United States at the NACAC Under 23 Track & Field Championships July 7-9, 2006 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

For the women’s team, Carolina’s 10-time All-American Shalonda Solomon will be competing in her short sprint specialties: the 100 and 200 meters. For the 400 meters, seven-time All-American Natasha Hastings will be the Gamecock representative. On the men’s side, four-time All-American Jason Richardson will be competing in the 110 hurdles, while former Gamecock standout three-time All-American Kenneth Ferguson will contest the 400m hurdles.

In addition to individual action, all the respective Gamecocks are expected to be included in relay pools. Solomon will be in heavy consideration for the 4x100m relay, while Hastings, Richardson, and Ferguson will be in the running for a spot on the 4x400m Relay.

As a United States Track and Field sponsored team, Team USA will compete against North American and Caribbean countries. All four Gamecocks have competed on prior international teams and will aid Team USA in topping the medal count.

“Competing for the Gamecocks is an honor in itself, but competing for the Gamecocks and the United States is a honor I’m glad to accept,” said Richardson. “My fellow teammates and I expect a strong showing and will make sure to have fun while competing.”