April 7, 2018
Outdoor Meets #4 & 5 — Spec Towns Invitational | Gamecock Invitational
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three Gamecocks earned victories as the University of South Carolina track & field team hosted the 2018 Gamecock Invitational on Saturday. Aliyah Abrams, Josh Awotunde and KD Young each tallied wins in front of another strong crowd at Sheila & Morris Cregger Track.
The Gamecocks also were in action at the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, Ga., where a pair of Carolina student-athletes closed the weekend with strong finishes.
GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL RECAP
Abrams ran in one of the day’s most competitive heats and finished first overall in the 400m with a time of 53.79. The victory was her third of the season and second at Cregger Track. Stephanie Davis won her heat of the 400 and finished third overall at 55.07.
Young earned her first victory of the outdoor season in the women’s shot put. The freshman’s final attempt, 52-4 ½, is the sixth-best mark in Carolina history and ranks 11th in the East Region this season.
Awotunde capped the day by claiming the men’s discus on his final attempt of the evening. The senior threw 179-1, the 20th-best mark in the East Region this season. Eric Favors came in third, at 166-5
Abrams, Awotunde and Young accounted for three of Carolina’s four event wins this weekend. On Friday, Yann Randrianasolo won the men’s long jump at the Spec Towns Invitational in Georgia.
Carolina opened the day’s track action with a second-place finish in the women’s 4x100m relay. Caitlyn Little, Milan Parks, Makyla Stanley and Amecia Pennamon came home with a time of 46.26.
Shelby Freedman finished second on Saturday in the javelin. The Danville, Pa., native’s best attempt of the day was 138-7.
Milan Parks fought through rainy conditions for the best day of her career in the 100m hurdles. The Suffolk, Va., native ran a PR in prelims, 13.66, which boosted her to 31st in the East Region. In the final, her time of 13.82 was good for third place.
Makyla Stanley picked up two podium results Saturday, finishing third in both the long jump and the 100m. Two weeks after setting a new PR at Cregger Track, Stanley jumped 18-10 for the bronze. She also ran 12.17 in the 100m.
In addition to her shot put triumph, Young put together a solid day in the discus, finishing third with a mark of 150-6. Springs grabbed fourth in the event, throwing 146-0.
SPEC TOWNS INVITATIONAL RECAP
Several Gamecocks were in action Saturday at Georgia, with Lissa Labiche leading the way. The two-time Olympian finished third in the high jump, moving into eighth in Carolina history with a mark of 5-7 ¼.
Markus Leemet competed in the second half of the Bulldog Decathlon on Saturday. The senior finished fourth with 7,351 points; that’s the ninth-best mark in the NCAA this season.
FROM THE COACH
“It was a solid day. It’s already been a long season for our kids, but they all got a chance to participate today. Otis is trying to put himself in a position to run in the low 1:48’s in the 800, so he ran the 1500 today, which he’d never run before. For him to run four-flat is awesome for an 800 runner doing the quarter-mile.”
“Markus has room to grow for the conference meet. We’re looking for another 300 points from him. That puts him in position to be a contender to score at the NCAAs. That’s our goal — how many people can we get to the NCAA Championship?”
“Next week we want to try to put a good 4×100 together and get Titi a good 100 meters so he can get a qualifying time. Plus next week we open the shot put up again. It will be the second time for Josh and Eric to go at it. Tennessee has some good throwers, and they’re bringing a good field down. Tye gets going in the high jump. We want him to get over seven feet, to see if we can get another guy with a qualifying mark. On the women’s side, we’re getting the throws together next week and getting Aliyah into a faster race where she’s not the favorite to win. She had a good run today, ran 24-flat in the 200m. There’s a lot to build on when we get back next week.” – Head Coach Curtis Frye
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
Carolina gets its first look at the 2018 SEC Championships site next week when it competes at the Tennessee Relays. The meet is scheduled for April 12-14 in Knoxville, Tenn.
| SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018 • GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL • MEN’S RESULTS |
| Javelin |
| 4. Benjamin Womble |
43.26m | 141-11 |
| 4x100m Relay |
| 6. Thomas, Singleton, Howard, Couchell |
42.49 |
| 4x400m Relays |
| 5. Gyllensten, Flores, Jones, Elwood |
3:18.28 |
| SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018 • SPEC TOWNS INVITATIONAL • MEN’S RESULTS |
| Decathlon Overall |
| 4. Markus Leemet |
7,351 |
| SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018 • GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL • WOMEN’S RESULTS |
| 4x100m Relay |
| 2. Little, Parks, Stanley, Pennamon |
46.26 |
