Jan. 9, 2018
2018 Track & Field Preview ââ’¬” Multis
The University of South Carolina track & field team returns to action in January for head coach Curtis Frye’s 22nd season in charge. In the days leading up to the start of the 2018 season, GamecocksOnline.com will preview each section of the Carolina squad, taking a glance at key returners and highlighting key newcomers who could make their names as the next great Gamecock superstars. Today’s preview focuses on Carolina’s multi athletes.
FROM THE COACH
“Markus (Leemet) brings tremendous leadership to our program, not just as a decathlete, but for the entire team with him being a team captain. His work ethic speaks volumes to the rest of the team. We’re looking forward to his leadership, but also he’s making huge, huge improvements in his technique and huge improvements in his strength level.” ââ’¬” Assistant Coach Kevin Brown
“Jordan (Fields) ended her summer scoring at the junior national meet, so she ended well. Training has been going really well for her. We’re expecting some points during the indoor season in the pentathlon. She’s progressing really well.” ââ’¬” Assistant Head Coach Delethea Quarles
2017 REVIEW
On the men’s side, longtime standout Markus Leemet once again paced the Gamecocks. The Estonia National Team member finished seventh in the heptathlon at the SEC Indoor Championships, set a decathlon school record as part of a bronze-medal finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships before an injury cut his time in Eugene short with two events remaining. Graduated senior Alexandre Asselin also turned in a strong season, while on the women’s side, Jordan Fields posted the seventh-best pentathlon score in Gamecock history.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN ââ’¬” Markus Leemet
Leemet returns for one more outdoor season in Columbia after redshirting the second half of the 2016 campaign due to injury. After finishing 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2015, Leemet returned with a vengeance last season, scoring 7,720 points at the SEC outdoor meet to break a three-decade-old Carolina record. The Estonia native set a PR in nine of the 10 decathlon events last season and is geared up for one more run at a conference title and national laurels.
TOP RETURNER ââ’¬” Jordan Fields
Fields competed three times in the pentathlon, posting finishes of ninth at the Razorback Invitational, second at the Tiger Paw Invitational and 12th at the SEC Championships. Her total score at the SEC meet, 3,667, went down as the seventh-best tally in Carolina history. The Jacksonville, Fla., native redshirted outdoors, competing unattached at several events, before representing Carolina at the USATF Jr. Championships in June, where she placed fifth in the high jump and eighth in the 400m hurdles.
KEY NEWCOMERS
Freshman Benjamin Womble joins the Gamecocks after a successful prep career at Durham Academy in North Carolina. Womble led his high school squad to a conference championship and individually was the league title-winner in the long jump and the discus.
