Feb. 12, 2011

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Matt Shuler and Radiance Basden both posted runner-up finishes at collegiate best marks to conclude action Saturday for South Carolina at the Tyson Invitational. Shuler cleared 17’6 ½ (5.35m) in the men’s pole vault invitational to move to No. 7 in the NCAA this season while Basden jumped 40’8 ¾ (12.41m) in the women’s triple jump to hit a new collegiate best for the second consecutive week.

Sophomore David Wilkins also had his best jump of the year with his coming in the high jump. Wilkins cleared 7’0 ½ (2.15m), an improvement of half an inch that jumps him to No. 2 in the SEC this season as the team nears the SEC Indoor Championships that will be held in two weeks at the same facility. On the women’s side, Jeannelle Scheper, Staley Foster and Kayla Blake each cleared 5’6 (1.68m) to go sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. The jump was a season high for Blake.

Both relay teams continued to improve with new top times as we pass the midpoint of the indoor season. The men’s 1,600-meter relay team of Clayton Gravesande, Andre Carter, Antonio Sales and Aaron Anderson took sixth at 3:09.44 while the women’s team of Sanura Eley-O’Reilly, Janica Austin, Kierre Beckles and Kelsey McCorkle took ninth at 3:37.15.

Sales also competed in the 200-meter dash where he ran 21.34 to improve his season best time. Sales placed 14th, and freshman teammate Chris Royster took 31st at 21.69. Freshman Vashti Bandy was the only woman to compete individually on the track as she ran 24.93 in the 200-meter dash to place 65th.