Jan. 21, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina track and field program returns home for a midweek meet on Wed., Jan. 22, at the USC Indoor Complex. The women’s long jump kicks off the day’s field events at 2 p.m. Running events begin at 4:30 p.m., with the 55-meter hurdle semifinals. The public is welcome (free admission and parking).

MEET INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22
Time: Field Events – 2 p.m. / Running Events – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Facility: USC Indoor Complex
Live Results: Live Results
Meet Schedule: Final Schedule

Schedule of Events
Field
2:00 p.m. – Women’s Long Jump (men to follow)
4:00 p.m. – 20 lb. weight throw (35 lb weight throw to follow)
4:30 p.m. – Women’s Pole Vault (men to follow)
4:30 p.m. – Women’s High Jump (men to follow)
5:30 p.m. – Women’s Shot Put (men to follow)

Running
4:30 p.m. – Women’s 55mH Semis
4:50 p.m. – Men’s 55mH Semis
5:10 p.m. – Women’s 55m Semis
5:40 p.m. Men’s 55m Semis
6:10 p.m. – Women’s Mile Run (men to follow)
6:30 p.m. – Women’s 400m (men to follow)
6:45 p.m. – Women’s 800m (men to follow)
6:55 p.m. – Women’s 55mH Finals
7:05 p.m. – Men’s 55mH Finals
7:15 p.m. – Women’s 55m Finals
7:25 p.m. – Men’s 55m Finals
7:35 p.m. – Women’s 3,000m Run (men to follow)
8:00 p.m. – Women’s 4x400m Relay (men to follow)

Last Time Out
South Carolina competed at the Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va., over the weekend and returned home with four wins, all posted by the No. 11 women’s squad. Overall, the Gamecocks posted 31 top-10 finishes.

Men’s Notables

• Sophomore Jermaine Collier posted three top-four finishes at the meet in the 60-meter hurdles, 500-meter dash and 4×400-meter relay…in the 60-meter hurdles, Collier ran the first sub-eight-second time of his career in the prelims and posted his second to take second overall at 7.80…the lifetime best time is the ninth fastest in school history…it also ranks second in the SEC and seventh in the nation this season
• On the men’s 4×400-meter relay, Collier ran leadoff and was joined by juniors Eric Winfrey and Chris Walker and senior Chris Royster…the foursome posted a 3:11.51 to finish second amongst collegians and third overall…the time is the 18th fastest in the NCAA this season
• Winfrey set a new PR in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.74…the time is the ninth fastest in Gamecock history and is the 25th fastest time in the country this season. Walker set a new PR in the event as well, clocking in at 6.87 and Royster matched a previous lifetime best of 6.80.
• Junior Drew Ricci ran the third-fastest time in school history at the distance in the men’s race with his lifetime-best time of 2:27.65
• Junior Andrew Seay continued to trend upward as well, setting a new PR in the weight throw for the second week in a row…his throw of 60-04.50 (18.40m) earned him second place

Women’s Notables

• In her first meet of the season, senior Jeannelle Scheper highlighted the weekend by dominating the high jump field and recording an NCAA leader, facility and meet record at 6-02.75 (1.90m)
• Freshman Natasha Dicks made her collegiate triple jump debut and added her second collegiate win…Dicks’ jump of 41-02.50 (12.56m) is the fifth best in Gamecock history…it is also the best by a freshman and 13th overall in the NCAA this season
• The women’s 4×400-meter relay quartet of three freshman, Precious Holmes, Briana Haith and Marisa Bellamy, along with junior Erika Rucker won by nearly three seconds, clocking in at 3:39.95…the time is the seventh fastest in the country this season
• Making her 2014 debut, Rucker also won the 300-meter dash with a time of 37.62 and finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.15 in her first collegiate race at the distance
• Sophomore Anna Todd broke the 1,000-meter school record with a time of 2:52.84
• All three women in the 60-meter hurdles advanced to the final and set new personal bests over the weekend (freshman Mollie Williams – 8.53, sophomore Tyler Brockington – 8.57, sophomore Sarah Graham – 8.70)
• Senior Petra Olsen cleared a season-best 13-07.25 (4.15m) in the pole vault. The mark ranks her seventh in the NCAA and second in the SEC

Gamecocks in the Top 25
The top 16 marks/times for each individual event qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. For the relay events, the top 12 teams will qualify for the championships.

Women Start Season at No. 11 in USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Division I National Team Computer Rankings was released Monday with the South Carolina women’s track and field squad at No. 11. The spot is the women’s highest preseason and overall ranking since 2010 when the Gamecocks entered the season at No. 7. The 2010 squad went on to finish 19th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. A nation-leading eight SEC teams are featured in the rankings, with all eight representatives landing in the top 15.

Up Next
This weekend, the Gamecocks split with one group heading west for the Cherry & Silver Invitational at the site of the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., and the others set to return to Blacksburg, Va., for the Hokie Invitational.