July 11, 2003

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A pair of South Carolina freshmen will race for Team USA at the Junior Pan American Games scheduled for July 18-20 in Bridgetown, Barbados. Kenneth Ferguson and Tawana Watkins both qualified for the competition with victories at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships last month in Palo Alto, Calif. The duo is among 88 total athletes named by USA Track & Field to its junior competition roster. Junior athletes are classified as age 19 or under during the 2003 calendar year.

Ferguson won both the 110m and 400m hurdles at the 2003 USA Junior Championships and was the only athlete to win multiple-events during the meet. The Detroit native took home the silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2002 World Junior Championships. This spring at USC, the sophomore-to-be ran a school and personal record time of 48.79 in the 400m hurdles to capture his first conference crown at May’s SEC Outdoor Championships in Knoxville.

Watkins captured the 400m hurdles title at the 2003 USA Junior Championships. As a freshman, the Newark, N.J. native helped the Gamecocks to the NCAA East Regional 4x400m relay championship by running a personal-best split time of 52.6 as the third leg of the quartet.