Feb. 9, 2006

University of South Carolina track standout Shalonda Soloman has been selected as the Southeastern Conference female Runner of the Week, the league office announced today.

Solomon, a sophomore sprinter from Inglewood, Calif., turned in the fastest time in the United States this year in winning the 200-meter dash at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York over the weekend, registering an NCAA automatic mark of 23.19 seconds to take the gold medal. She also earned a fourth place finish in the 60-meter dash, running a 7.41 in the finals after turning in a 7.34 in the prelims. Solomon is currently ranked first in the nation in the 200-meter dash and 10th in the 60-meter dash.

Solomon is the third South Carolina athlete to be honored by the league during the indoor season, joining sprinter Amberly Nesbitt and field standout Chelsea Hammond.

Solomon, Nesbitt, Hammond and the rest of the top-ranked women’s track & field team will be in action this weekend at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., site of the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.