Feb. 1, 2004
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – South Carolina recorded three victories and six qualifying marks during Sunday’s Gator Invitational at the University of Florida. Lashinda Demus notched her second consecutive 400m victory while Erica Whipple garnered her third 200m win of the year and Jenny Lake topped the 5000m field.
Demus made it two-for-two this season in the 400m by winning for the second straight week in Gainesville. The defending indoor 400m national champion ran an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 52.94 to stay undefeated in the event this year. Teammates Shevon Stoddart and Stephanie Smith finished third and sixth, each with NCAA provisional qualifying times, for a 1-3-6 USC placing.
Whipple took the 200m title for the third time in four races this season by running an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.82. Teammate Khaliah Carpenter finished fifth in the event with a time of 24.34.
Lake notched her first win of 2004 by pacing the 5000m race with a time of 17:21.58. She also ran the final leg for USC’s runner-up distance medley relay, teaming with Boikhutso Ramomene, Carpenter and Shay Shelton for a time of 12:05.47.
Also posted NCAA provisional marks were Ronnetta Alexander with a time of 7.78 for a sixth-place finish in the 55m hurdles and Tony Allmond, who placed fourth in the men’s long jump with a distance of 25’0.5″.
Men’s Highlights
Tony Antonio had the top men’s finish of the day, placing third in the weight throw with a distance of 62’3″ … Greig Cryer finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 49’8.5″ and placed in the top ten of the long jump, finishing ninth with a distance of 24’3.5″ … USC recorded a 4-5 finish in the 400m as Aaron Luster and Derron Flood ran times of 47.83 and 48.65 … Adrian Durant placed fourth in the 200m with a time of 21.67 and finished sixth in the 55m with a time of 6.35 … Shawn Cunningham finished sixth in the 800m with a time of 1:53.09 … Charles Ryan placed seventh in the 55m hurdles with a time of 7.46 … Steve Mance ran a time of 15:38.65 to finish seventh in the 5000m.
Women’s Highlights
USC had a pair of women among the top-five in field events as Cheryl Terrio placed fourth in the pole vault with a height of 11’9.75″ and Kemesha Whitmire finished fifth in the triple jump with a distance of 40’8.25″ and fifth in the long jump with a distance of 20’3.5″ … Whipple also had a top-ten finish in the 55m, placing seventh with a time of 6.99 while teammate Alexis Joyce finished eighth in the event, also with a time of 6.99 … Shelton placed among the top ten in the 800m, finishing ninth with a time of 2:13.49.
