FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of South Carolina track & field team opened its 2019 postseason run Friday as the SEC Indoor Championships commenced at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The Gamecocks posted four scoring efforts on the opening day, and three more Carolina student-athletes advanced to Saturday’s track finals.

Eric Favors (men’s shot put), Yann Randrianasolo (men’s long jump), Armand Woodley (men’s pole vault) and the women’s distance medley relay crew each posted top-eight finishes Friday. Quincy Hall (men’s 400m), Otis Jones (men’s 800m) and Isaiah Moore (men’s 60m hurdles) each advanced out of prelims and will compete for SEC titles Saturday.

Through one day of competition, the Gamecocks sit ninth in the men’s standings with 11 points and 12th in the women’s race with four points. The vast majority of events will be contested Saturday in Fayetteville, with 12 women’s events and 11 men’s events still to go.

Carolina’s first points of the meet came from Favors in the men’s shot put. The junior rallied from a tough start to reach finals with a throw of 18.31m (60-1) on his third attempt. He upped that mark to 18.64m (61-2) in finals to finish sixth and net three points. It’s his second-career scoring effort at the SEC level.

Woodley once again dug deep and left the SEC stage with a new personal best. The senior finished sixth in the men’s pole vault, clearing 5.34m (17-6 ¼) for the first time in his career. That mark ranks sixth in Carolina history and 22nd in the NCAA this season. Woodley has now scored at the last four SEC Championships.

Randrianasolo was outside of the top nine when he stepped in for his third attempt, but the senior came up clutch with a leap of 7.72m (25-4) to make the men’s long jump final. That stood as his best jump of the day, and he finished fourth to secure five more Gamecock points. The senior, who entered the week ranked fifth in the nation with a mark of 7.94m (26-0 ¾), will turn his attention to the NCAA Indoor Championships, to be held March 8-9 in Birmingham, Ala.

The Gamecocks capped the day with a tremendous effort in the women’s distance medley relay. Allie Mueller, Tatyana Mills, Macie Kavanaugh and Anna Kathryn Stoddard finished in fifth place with a time of 11:38.69. It’s the first time Carolina has scored in the event since 2011 and the squad’s first top-five finish at the confernece meet since 2005. Their time is a new season best and the second-best mark in Carolina history.

Hall dominated his heat of the men’s 400m and was the only qualifier to finish sub-46, with a time of 45.89. The junior from Kansas City, Mo., who entered the week ranked fifth nationally in the event, will run for his first SEC title Saturday at 3:40 p.m. CT.

Moore ran in the fastest heat of the men’s 60m hurdles and used that speed to propel himself into his third-career SEC final. The senior’s time of 7.77 was fourth-fastest among competitors Friday and just .01 off his personal best. A bronze medalist in the outdoor 110mH in 2017, Moore runs for his first SEC crown Saturday at 3:57 p.m. CT.

Jones will represent the Gamecocks in the men’s 800m final after a season-best run in prelims. The senior crossed the line in 1:49.35, which ranks 29th in the NCAA this season. A bronze medalist last year in the outdoor 800m, the Sumter, S.C., native attempt to win a conference title and qualify for his first NCAA Championships Saturday at 4:22 p.m. CT.

Benjamin Womble got off to a great start in the heptathlon. The sophomore set new personal bests in the 60m (7.34) and long jump (6.36m) and matched his top high jump effort (1.68m). He’s in eighth place with three events left at 2,522 points.

FROM THE COACH