June 19, 2003
PALO ALTO, Calif. – South Carolina had a successful day one at the U.S. Track and Field Championships on the campus of Stanford University, as numerous Gamecocks advanced to the next round of competition.
Tiffany Ross won her heat in the 400m hurdles with a time of 56.29 as she defeated defending champion Sandra Glover (56.35). She moved onto the event semifinals on Friday evening. Teammate Shevon Stoddart also advanced to the semis with a time of 58.63.
“Last week (at the NCAA’s) was the hardest schedule I have ever had,” said Ross. “I think I have recovered and I feel good right now. To win the hat builds my confidence and was the first step, so I am pretty satistfied.”
Erica Whipple ran a time of 11.60 to place fourth in her 100m dash heat and advance to Friday’s semifinal.
“I knew I had only five racing in my heat, so I knew I just had to beat one,” said Whipple. “I am not happy with my time but there are more rounds coming up so I will do my best.
Former Gamecocks Demetria Washington and Lisa Barber finished 2-3 in the preliminaries of the women’s 400m dash with times of 52.15 and 52.52 to move on to the semifinal round. The duo will be joined by Lisa’s twin sister, Miki, who completed her USC eligibility at last weekend’s NCAA Championships by earning her 20th All-American honor, and ran a time of 53.27 to advance.
Jonathan Fortenberry ran a time of 46.87 in the 400m dash but did not advance from the preliminary round.
The U.S. Championships continue through Sunday in Palo Alto. Complete USATF Championship schedules and results can be found at www.usatf.org.
