Gamecocks Host Final Home Meet on Saturday
COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 20, 2023) – South Carolina Track & Field will play host to its final home meet of the outdoor season on Saturday at the Sheila and Morris Cregger Track. The Gamecocks will host 46 teams in the USC Open and will also take a break at noon to honor 21 Carolina seniors.
Follow the Meet
Live results for the USC Open can be found by clicking the following link. Fans can also follow along with updates on Twitter by following @GamecockTrack.
Meet Information
The USC Open will consist of 46 teams, including the likes of: Clemson, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, North Carolina, UNC Wilmington, USC Upstate, Winthrop and Wofford. Saturday’s final home meet will be a full day with events beginning at 9 a.m. There will be five field events kicking things off at 9 a.m., while the first track event will also start at 9 a.m. in the form of the women’s 5,000 meters. The final field event of the day will be men’s open pole vault at 6 p.m., while the final track event will be the 4x400m relays at 8:10 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. There will be a brief break in track action at noon to honor the Gamecock seniors on Senior Day.
Coaches Corner
On the final home meet of the 2023 season:
“It feels good to be back home for the first time in nearly one month. We have seen strong results in our last two meets in Gainesville, but there is nothing like competing on your own track. We will also be able to honor an amazing group of seniors. This class has risen to the occasion and kept South Carolina Track & Field on the map. I cannot express how thankful I am to this Senior class, and I can’t wait to send them out on the right note this Saturday. This weekend we have a very big field with lots of talent. This is our final tune up for next week when we are one of the fortunate teams that will go to Penn Relays. So I expect us to go out and compete this weekend, defend our home track and make final preparations for Penn next weekend.”
Thank you Seniors
The Gamecocks will honor 21 seniors on Saturday, consisting of SEC medalists, All-Americans and most importantly, young men and women of character who will make an impact in their communities long after their time in Columbia. Senior Day honors will begin at noon near the press box at Cregger Track.
Where do they Rank?
With two meets remaining before the best track meet in the country (SEC Outdoor Championships), the Gamecocks have 20 results ranked inside the Top 48 in the East Regional rankings.
There are 12 East Regional marks on the women’s side, led by newcomer Sylvia Chelangat with the highest-ranked position at fifth overall in the women’s 800m. Chelangat set a new school record last weekend in Gainesville, running 2:02.58 to position herself in fifth in the region. Jayla Jamison is the other Top-10 regionally ranked individual for South Carolina, sitting ninth in the women’s 200m (22.79). The Gamecocks have eight more individuals ranked inside the Top-50 in the region, including veteran thrower KD Young who ranks 21st in the shot put (16.13m) and 30th in the hammer throw (59.70m). Two Gamecock relay squads find themselves ranked inside the necessary Top-24 to qualify for regionals as the 4x100m team sits 12th and the 4x400m squad is 13th.
There are eight rankings on the men’s team, led by Evan Miller who sits second in the 400m (45.14) and 13th in the 200m (20.48). Dylan Targgart also holds a high mark in the East, positioned third overall in the shot put with a distance of 19.89m. Anthony Greenhow (200m), EJ Richardson (400m), Filip Demsar (110mH), and Kobe Franklin (HJ) are the final Carolina individuals found inside the cut line. The 4x100m relay team of Greenhow, Miller, Gatlin Lawson and DJ Black sit 21st heading into the weekend.
