Gamecocks Set Facility Records at VT Challenge, Collect Wins at Home

Feb. 22, 2014

Gamecock Indoor Invite Results | VT Challenge Results

COLUMBIA, S.C. & BLACKSBURG, Va. – In the final day of action before the 2014 SEC Indoor Championships, South Carolina posted three wins on the road at the Virginia Tech Challenge and five wins at the home Gamecock Indoor Invitational. The Gamecocks reached facility record marks at Virginia Tech’s Rector Fieldhouse in two events. Senior high jumper Jeannelle Scheper matched her own facility record set earlier this season while the women’s 4×400-meter relay broke a mark that had stood for 15 years.

Scheper’s winning clearance of 6’2″ ¾ (1.90m), duplicates the mark from her 2014 debut that thrust her into the NCAA lead, a height that still stands atop the Division I rankings. The win is her fourth-straight and keeps her undefeated on the season. Scheper’s teammate sophomore Sarah Graham wasn’t far behind, notching a height of 5’10” (1.78m) to take second.

It’s the second time in as many meets that Scheper and Graham have finished 1-2 after also accomplishing the feat at the Armory Collegiate Invitational two weeks ago. The pair rank 1-2 in the South Carolina record book as well.

In the final event of the day, the women’s 4×400-meter wrote their names in the Rector Fieldhouse record book. The quartet of freshmen Precious Holmes, Briana Haith, Marisa Bellamy and junior Tamera Harris clocked in at 3:34.97. The previous facility record set by Florida had stood since 1999. It’s also the fastest time of the season for the Gamecocks. Holmes’ leadoff leg of 53.34 was the fastest split of the race and gave the team a lead they would not relinquish.

A second women’s 4×4 team of junior Ahtyana Johnson, sophomore Tyler Brockington, senior Vashti Bandy and freshman Maya Evans took third in the race with a time of 3:47.11.

South Carolina also took the win in the men’s 4×400-meter relay. Freshman Ryan Bermudez, sophomore Jermaine Collier, senior Chris Royster and junior Chris Walker led the entire way and clocked in at a season best 3:11.11.

In the women’s pole vault, senior Petra Olsen found her form and turned in her best mark of 2014. Her clearance of 13’10” ½ (4.23m) earned her a second-place finish.

A pair of sophomores in Alexis Murphy and Anna Todd finished third in their respective events. Murphy recorded a leap of 19′ ½ (5.80m) in the long jump and Todd followed up her win in last night’s mile run with a season-best 2:13.04 in the 800 meters.

In the men’s 400-meter dash, junior Chris Walker set a new PR for the second meet in a row, clocking in at 48.47 in the 400-meter dash. Walker’s time placed him third overall.

Combined with four wins from yesterday, South Carolina returns home from the Virginia Tech Challenge with seven wins. The Gamecocks added the trip to their schedule after they were forced to cancel their trip to last weekend’s Tyson Invitaitonal due to the effects of winter weather.

At home, the Gamecocks recorded five wins at the Gamecock Indoor Invitaitonal at the USC Indoor Complex.

Junior Andrew Seay turned in his best performance of the season, taking the men’s weight throw with a personal record throw of 61′ (18.59m). The new lifetime best is nearly half a foot longer than his previous best mark.

In the second throws win of the day, junior Kaysee Sullivan was off her season best, but still bested the field with a mark of 43’1″ ¾ (13.15m) in the shot put.

South Carolina swept the men’s and women’s 800-meter runs with sophomore Ashley Miller (2:23.78) and junior Kevin Keating (2:04.33) topping their fields.

In the final Gamecock race of the day, freshman Greg Lowing captured his second 3,000-meter run win of the season, this time by nearly seven seconds. Lowing clocked in at 9:01.01.

Overall, South Carolina posted 23 top-10 finishes at their final home meet. All but two athletes finished in the top 10 of their respective event.

Championship season begins for the Gamecocks next week with the 2014 SEC Indoor Championships at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. Competition is set for Feb. 27- Mar. 1.