Gamecock Quartet Earn All-SEC Honors
COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 16, 2023) – Four different Gamecocks earned the title of Outdoor Track & Field All-SEC, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Criteria for earning All-SEC is as follows: First Team consists of the top finishers in each event, while the Second Team consists of those that finish in second or third in each event.
Anass Essayi and Silan Ayyildiz earned a spot on the First Team, while Rogerio Amaral and Sylvia Chelangat were named to the Second Team All-SEC.
Essayi was named to the First Team All-SEC for the first time during his outdoor tenure. Essayi, an indoor First Team honoree earlier this season, garnered the recognition after becoming the program’s first ever 1500-meter SEC Champion. The Morocco native ran 3:41.52 in the finals, cruising to yet another SEC title. Essayi leads the NCAA East Region and ranks fourth in the NCAA in the 1500m with a program-record time of 3:36.89.
Ayyildiz joins her male 1500m counterpart on the First Team for the first time in her collegiate career. The Turkey native claimed the 1500m gold medal when she crossed the line with a time of 4:17.67. Ayyildiz ranks 16th in the East Region with a program-best time of 4:14.13, also ranking 37th overall in the NCAA. Ayyildiz also captured a spot on the Second Team All-SEC during the indoor season, finishing with silver medalist honors in the women’s mile.
Amaral earns his first ever All-SEC honor when he opened the championships with a bronze medal finish in the 10,000-meter race. The Portugal product ran the third fastest 10K in Gamecock history, clocking 30:15.90 to earn a spot on the Second Team All-SEC.
Chelangat claims her first All-SEC recognition as well, doing so in the women’s 800m. The Kenya native finished with silver medalist honors after running 2:03.98. Chelangat owns the program record for the outdoor 800m, stopping the clock at 2:02.58. Chelangat’s time ranks ninth in the East Region and 16th overall in the NCAA this season.
