March 6, 2004
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eight USC athletes notched event victories and the Gamecocks totaled nine qualifying marks in Saturday’s Florida Fast Times Meet, the final opportunity to qualify or improve marks for next weekend’s NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. On the day, six Carolina athletes improved or matched their previous individual qualifying marks.
Cheryl Terrio and Chris Steddum each recorded season-best marks to help Carolina sweep the women’s and men’s pole vault competitions. Terrio’s height of 12’11.5″ was an provisional qualifying mark as was Steddum’s height of 17.7″.
Freshman Ronnetta Alexander won the women’s 55m hurdles with a provisional time of 7.66. The mark equaled her season-best time, set in a runner-up finish on Feb. 21 at the Gamecock Indoor Open in Columbia.
Shevon Stoddart took first in the women’s 400m dash with a provisional time of 53.61, just 36-hundredths of a second off her season-best time set at last weekend’s SEC Championships.
Tony Allmond won the men’s long jump competition with a provisional mark of 25’3.25″, but was unable to improve on his season-best distance of 25’7.25″ set at the SEC Championships.
Carolina’s Alexis Joyce and Adrian Durant each posted season-best provisional times in the 55m. Joyce recorded a time of 6.92 in the preliminaries before a fifth-place finals finish. Durant improved his time by nine-hundredths of a second and finished second by running a 6.23.
Tony Antonio finished third in the men’s weight throw, but improved on his provisional qualifying mark with a season-best distance of 66’7.75″.
The USC men’s 4x400m relay team of Rodney Martin, Jr., Aaron Luster, Derron Flood and Durant won their race with a time of 3:10.04, a provisional mark but just shy of their season-best time. Carolina’s women ran a time of 3:55.92 to finish first, but also did not eclipse their season-best time.
Shawn Cunningham finished first in the men’s 800m race with a season-best time of 1:51.51, but the mark does not qualify him for NCAA’s.
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships begin Friday, March 12 in Fayetteville, Ark., with event finals finishing on Saturday evening. USC’s Lashinda Demus will look to defend her 400m National Championship during the weekend.
