Dec. 5, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Head Coach Curtis Frye and the University of South Carolina track & field team are proud to welcome seven student-athletes to the Carolina family after a very successful fall signing period. Stephanie Davis, Carisma Holland, Dymier Jeffery, Rougui Sow, Brooke Wilson and KD Young signed National Letters of Intent to join the Carolina women’s team, while Rivaldo Leacock will join the men’s squad for the 2017-18 academic year.
“We signed another tremendous group that I am really proud to add to our program,” Frye said. “These kids, as soon as they came here on their visits, understood the principles of our program and the expectations that we have for our student-athletes. This group that we’re bringing to Carolina is full of great students and great people, and I have no doubt they will have a tremendous positive influence on our program.”
STEPHANIE DAVIS SPRINTS GAITHERSBURG, MD.
Daughter of Deirdre and Steve Davis and has two sisters: Shayla and Miriam.
Plans to major in molecular biology.
Was named First Team All Met by the Washington Post for both indoor and outdoor track & field.
Won the 200m dash at the USATF Region 3 Championship.
Competed at New Balance Nationals and has broken meet records at the Maryland Independent Schools Championship, the FIT Invitational and the Mullins-Russell Invitational.
Chose Carolina because it’s a place that will help her succeed both athletically and academically, and Carolina is a place that will make sure her future is bright.
Coach Frye on Davis
“Stephanie is a great signee for us; it’s been awhile since we got a girl who could run 23.6 and 11.4 as a junior,” Frye said. “Those are numbers that some of the very best student-athletes to ever come through our program were achieving when they were in high school. It’s exciting to know that we have another athlete with that kind of potential in our signing class.”
CARISMA HOLLAND THROWS SENECA, S.C.
Daughter of Howard and Shannon Holland.
Has been an all-region and all-state honoree every year since she was in 7th grade.
Is a two-time state champion in both the discus and the shot put.
Has competed in both the Junior Olympics and New Balance Nationals, with top-10 finishes in each.
Set Seneca’s school records in shot put and discus, and helped the school win their first ever team state championship in girls track & field.
Chose Carolina because the coaches and academic staff made her feel like it was home, and because she knows once she attends Carolina there is nowhere to go but up.
Coach Frye on Holland
“Carisma is a great person and very involved in her community,” Frye said. “We’re a family-oriented program, so when Carisma’s mother and father came on the visit and enjoyed themselves, we knew we had a good match. She is coached by her father and has a great work ethic, and she’s a truly great athlete.”
DYMIER JEFFERY HIGH JUMP RICHMOND, VA.
Daughter of Gregory Jeffery and Alfreda Wright and has three siblings: Darius, Gregory and Tori.
Plans to major in psychology, with an emphasis in counseling.
Has competed at the Penn Relays, New Balance Nationals and the AAU National Club Championship.
Is on the Honor Roll at Henrico High.
Chose Carolina because the atmosphere is exactly what she was looking for, and it provides the chance to be coached by one of the best jumps coaches in the world.
Coach Frye on Jeffery
“Anybody that comes out of high school jumping 5’10” or above is going to make a difference,” Frye said of Jeffery. “Dymier also has experience in the multi events, which speaks to her versatility and the depth of her training. We’re excited about her coming in and joining Coach Dee’s jumping group.”
RIVALDO LEACOCK HURDLES ST. GEORGE, BARBADOS
Attends Christ Church Foundation School.
Son of Lindsay Leacock and Marlowe Fenty.
Is a four-time medalist at the Carifta Games, including two gold medals.
Holds the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championships nationals record in all intermediate hurdle events in the U15-U20 age groups.
Owns the Barbados national junior record in the 400m hurdles.
Earned gold medals at the Caribbean Championships and The Commonwealth Games and was a finalist at the World Youth Championships.
Coach Frye on Leacock
“Rivaldo is the second-fastest intermediate hurdler that I’ve ever signed, and he wants to leave Carolina as the fastest,” Frye said. “He ran a 50.9 in the 400m hurdles while coming off of an injury last season, and his current progression compares very favorably to Johnny Dutch’s at that age. He expects to beat Johnny’s times before his collegiate career is over, and I am pulling for him. He’s a great kid.”
ROUGUI SOW LONG JUMP PARIS, FRANCE
Daughter of Mouhamadou and Rokhaya Sow.
Won the Mediterranean Championship with a jump of 21’7′.
Finished seventh at the Junior World Championship.
Also runs the 60m hurdles.
Chose Carolina because it’s a great school, the team is very friendly and the coaches are very professional.
Coach Frye on Sow
“Rougui is a very good student and a very good person,” Frye said. “She adjusted really well when she came on her official visit, and she’s a great catch for us. She’s consistently jumped over 21 feet in her career, and if you can do that, you can be an impact performer at the SEC and NCAA Championships level.”
BROOKE WILSON DISTANCE MT. PROSPECT, ILL.
Attends Prospect High School.
Daughter of Brad and Kay Wilson and has one sister, Alexandra.
Plans to major in pre-med at South Carolina.
Is a two-time individual conference and regional champion.
Has earned four top-10 track & field finishes at the Illinois state meet to go with a pair of top-five finishes in cross country.
Is a member of the MSL All-Academic Team, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society and is an AP Scholar with Distinction.
Chose Carolina because of the great people, the honors college and the awesome location of the campus.
Coach Frye on Wilson
“It’s been a long time since we brought in a distance runner that is already putting up the times we’ve seen from Brooke in high school,” Frye said. “Coach Allden is very excited to add Brooke to his group. She’s a strong student who has also earned an academic scholarship from Carolina, and the combination of scholarship and athletic potential makes her the perfect addition to our program.”
KD YOUNG THROWS DECATUR, ILL.
Daughter of Brett and Jennifer Young and has one younger brother, Joe.
Is a three-time Illinois state champion in both discus and shot put.
Finished first at the USATF National Junior Olympics in the shot put and second in the discus.
Also competed at New Balance Nationals, USATF Junior Nationals and the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational, earning top-five finishes at each.
Was named Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year in Illinois in 2016 and Macon County Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
Chose Carolina because she loves Coach Sergent, the track team and the atmosphere of the school.
Coach Frye on Young
“With KD, you’re talking about someone who could reach the NCAA Championships as a high school junior,” Frye said. “She is the total package and will complement our existing group of throwers very well. She is trained by her father, and her family fell in love with our program so much that they chose Carolina over 60 other scholarship offers. She sees herself breaking national records and going to the Olympics, and we’re happy to have her.”
South Carolina will open the 2017 indoor season in January, with the outdoor season slated to begin in March. This will be the first season for the Gamecocks to compete at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Cregger Track, and Carolina will host the SEC Outdoor Championship May 11-13.
