May 12, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Three University of South Carolina student-athletes found the podium on Friday as the Gamecocks continued the 2017 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Sheila & Morris Cregger Track. Markus Leemet, Rougui Sow and Tye Williams each placed third in their events on the second day of the conference meet, with Leemet breaking a 27-year-old school record in the decathlon.

In addition to the third-place performances from Leemet, Sow (long jump) and Williams (high jump), the Gamecocks got scoring efforts from Josh Awotunde (discus), Yann Randrianasolo (long jump) and Alycia Springs (shot put). Also, Isaiah Moore qualified for finals in the 110mH, where he will join teammates and Thursday qualifiers Tyler Brockington (400mH) and Ncincilili Titi (200m) in the quest for SEC titles tomorrow.

Through two of the three days at Carolina’s brand-new track & field facility, the Gamecock men are in eighth place with 18 points. Carolina’s women occupy 10th position, with eight points.

Leemet was in third place at the start of the decathlon’s second day after scoring a one-day personal high of 4,114 points on Thursday. He kept the record pace going with personal bests in the 110mH, pole vault and javelin to enter the 1500m with 7,039 points, good for third place and in range of a school record.

The Tallinn, Estonia, native crushed yet another personal best in the 1500m to secure his podium spot and set a new Carolina record. His time of 4:38.85 put his final total at 7,720 points, good for the SEC bronze medal and a new school watermark. He eclipsed the old mark of 7,598 points, set by Phillipe Williams in 1990, and his score is the NCAA’s 10th-best total this season.

Williams cleared his first three heights without a miss, and that would benefit him tremendously after he was unable to get over 7-2 ¼. Because of his 3-for-3 start, the junior was able to finish third, with a top effort of 7-0 ½. He was one of four competitors to max out at the height but the only one to clear his previous heights without a fault. His performance was historic; he is the first Gamecock to ever finish on the SEC podium in the men’s high jump.

Sow was marked down with a foul in her first two long jump attempts, but she came through with a mark of 21-0 on her third effort to make finals. Two jumps later, she just missed matching her own school record with an attempt of 21-11 ½. That was good for third place, giving the Le Havre, France, native her first ever SEC podium. It’s Carolina’s first podium in the women’s long jump since 2008.

Randrianasolo earned his first career SEC Championships points with a seventh-place finish in the long jump. The Toulouse, France, native notched an effort of 25-4 on his second attempt, and that carried him through to finals and into the scoring column. The jump was just an inch and a half off the junior’s season best.

Awotunde was not in position to make the discus finals when he stepped in for his third preliminary throw. But the junior rose to the occasion, vaulting into the second flight with an effort of 182-5. That remained his best attempt for the duration of the competition, and he finished eighth overall to grab one point.

Springs finished sixth at her first SEC Indoor Championships in February, and she added another scoring finish on Friday night. The freshman took seventh in the shot put with an effort of 48-8 ¼.

Moore ran his fastest 110mH time of the season on Friday, taking second in his heat to grab an automatic qualifying spot. His time of 13.66 was fourth-best overall in the prelims session.

QUOTING HEAD COACH Curtis Frye

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

The SEC Championships conclude Saturday, on the biggest of the meet’s three days. Student-athletes will compete for 27 individual titles, with both team championships also up for grabs at Cregger Track. The action begins at 11 a.m. ET.