March 30, 2002

Gainesville, FL – The South Carolina Track and Field Teams closed the Florida Relay Competition in Gainesville, Fl by winning seven different events in the final two days of competition. Carolina qualified three for NCAAs automatically and three more for NCAAs provisionally.

Senior and team captain Demetria Washington automatically qualified for the NCAAs in the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.94. Senior Lisa Barber finished seventh in the same race with a time of 54.18.

The Gamecocks finished in a spectacular one-two-three finish in the 400 meter hurdles. Lashinda Demus (56.64) won the race and set a school record while Tiffany Ross (56.96) came in second. Both Demus and Ross automatically qualified for the NCAAs. Shevon Stoddart finished third with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 57.73.

On the men’s side, Chris Steddum won the Pole Vault with a mark of 5.15 m (16-10.75). South Carolina won the 4x400m relay with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:04.16. In the men’s 400 meter dash, Jonathon Fortenberry was the runner up, finishing with a time of 46.84. Gerald Pressley finished the same race sixth with a time of 47.39.

Earlier in the competition, Tacita Bass won the heptathlon with a NCAA provisional qualifying 5,454 points.

The Gamecocks next compete at the 5-Way SEC Meet on April 6th in Knoxville, TN and will host the South Carolina State Championships at the Weems Baskin Track Facility on April 10th in Columbia, SC.