March 24, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s and women’s track and field teams will open their outdoor travel season with the Florida Relays this weekend in Gainesville, Fla.

“Florida Relays is one of the most prestigious meets in the country,” said USC Head Coach Curtis Frye. “It’s a good way to open our travel schedule, competing among the best teams in the nation.”

Participating in this weekend’s meet are Tennessee, who won the women’s NCAA indoor title, second place Florida, and Miami, who finished third. The USC women’s team finished fifth indoors with a total of 11 All-American honors. On the men’s side, SEC schools competing in the meet include Auburn, who finished fourth at NCAAs and Alabama. The Gamecocks finished 19th with two All-Americans.

“Some of the nation’s top teams will be competing, so it should be a great meet,” Frye said. “It’s a good way to showcase our talent and we’re just looking forward to our athletes getting out there and showing our abilities.”

Competition for the Gamecocks starts on Friday and will continue to Saturday afternoon. Results and a recap of each day’s competition will be available following the meet at www.uscsports.com