Feb. 25, 2006
The University of South Carolina men’s squad turned in a strong day while the women’s team experienced some highs and lows as the second day of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships came to a close Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the University of Florida campus.
The men find themselves in second place after four events were scored with 27 points behind only meet-favorite Arkansas, who leads with 40 points. The Carolina women are in fifth place with 19.50 points after five events have been completed. Georgia leads the women’s competition with 36 points, followed by Arkansas (29.50), Alabama (24) and Auburn (20).
“We’re in a real dog fight on the women’s side,” said USC head coach Curtis Frye. “Auburn has set themselves up and a couple things went wrong for us. But it’s not over. We’re still in it with a chance to win it. It’s been a great meet on the men’s side with 27 points on the first day,” continued Frye. “We are shooting for 50 points and want to be in the top five.”
The USC men got off to a fast start by picking up 12 points in the weight throw competition. Senior Brook Antonio earned the silver medal and eight team points with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 20.64 meters (67-8.75). The effort far exceeded his previous best mark of the season of 19.57 meters (64-2.50). Sophomore Jason Cook added a fifth place finish with an toss of 17.93 meters (58-10.00).
Greig Cryer added another eight points to the men’s team total with a second place finish in the long jump competition. The senior went a season-best 7.84 meters (25-8.75), missing the gold medal by just one centimeter (one-half inch) to Florida’s Michael Morrison. Cryer’s mark was also just one centimeter off an NCAA automatic qualifying mark and is one of the top five marks turned in nationally this season.
The Gamecocks got seven team points in the men’s heptathlon event. Senior Greg Royster earned a fourth place finish with 5264 points, while freshman Curt McGill placed seventh overall, scoring 4773 points.
Despite being hampered by a foot injury, senior Chelsea Hammond led the women with a third-place finish in the long jump competition with a leap of 6.19 meters (20-3.75). She finished fifth in the pentathlon on Friday and is slated to compete in the high jump competition on Sunday in her final conference championships.
Senior Cheryl Terrio had a disappointing fifth-place finish in the women’s pole vault competition. She was able to clear 3.80 meters (12-5.50), well off her season-best mark of 4.12 meters (13-6.25).
In the women’s shot put competition, Precious Akins missed scoring a point by less than two inches. The junior placed ninth with a toss of 14.13 meters (46-04.25), one and three-quarters inches shy of eighth place.
The South Carolina women had better luck in Saturday’s prelims, advancing most of their top sprinters to Sunday’s finals.
Amberly Nesbitt and Shalonda Solomon both won their respective heats of the women’s 55-meter dash to advance to the finals. Nesbitt, who owns the second fastest time in the country this season, broke the tape in 6.74 seconds, the fastest time in the prelims, while Solomon logged a time of 6.81 seconds, the fourth fastest prelim time. Both already own NCAA automatic qualifying marks in the event. The men also advanced two to the 55-meter finals, with Adrian Durant (6.27) and Leroy Dixon (6.32) finishing second and eighth, respectively, in the prelims.
The USC women also advanced two runners to the finals of the 55-meter hurdles. Junior Ronetta Alexander easily moved on with the fourth-best prelim time of 7.65 seconds, while Kettiany Clarke had the eighth fastest time of 7.98 seconds. On the men’s side, Jason Richardson, who finished third at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships a year ago but who has been limited by a hamstring injury this season, took the ninth and final qualifying spot in 7.49 seconds.
Solomon and Nesbitt looked very good in advancing to the finals of the women’s 200-meter dash. Running in the same heat, Solomon posted a winning time of 23.35 seconds, while Nesbitt was right behind at 23.69, the third and sixth fastest preliminary times overall. On the men’s side, senior Leroy Dixon moved into Sunday’s finals with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 21.37 seconds, the fifth-fastest prelim time.
The Gamecocks had some bad luck in the women’s 400-meter dash when 2005 NCAA bronze medalist at both the indoor and outdoor meets, Stephanie Smith, pulled up in the first 50 meters of the race and was unable to continue. Natasha Hastings was the only one of five USC women’s competitors to advance to Sunday’s final as she had the fourth fastest prelim time of 54.32. Sophomore Keith Hinnant earned a spot in the men’s 400-meter finals by posting the prelims’ third-fastest time of 47.50 seconds.
Shay Shelton easily won her heat of the 800-meter run to automatically advance to Sunday’s final. Shelton, a junior, posted a time of 2:10.21.
The meet concludes on Sunday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. The running finals begin at 1 p.m. ET.
TEAM SCORING:
WOMEN (5 Events Scored): 1. Georgia 36; 2. Arkansas 29.50; 3. Alabama 24; 4. Auburn 20; 5. South Carolina 19.50; 6. LSU 15; 7. Tennessee 13.50; 8. Mississippi 13; 9. Florida 12.50; 10. Kentucky 6; 11. Mississippi State 4; 12. Vanderbilt 2.
MEN (4 Events Scored): 1. Arkansas 40; 2. South Carolina 27; 3. Tennessee 23; 4. Florida 22; 5. LSU 13; 6. Auburn 12; 7. Mississippi 11; 8. Alabama 8.
SATURDAY’S SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS:
WOMEN – FINALS:
3000 meter run: 21. Nicki Breves 10:15.13.
Long Jump: 3. Chelsea Hammond 6.19m (20-3.75); 11. Brittney James 5.76m (18-10.75); 14. Kemesha Whitmire 5.64m (18-6.00); 19. Keittiany Clarke 5.45m (17-10.75).
Pole Vault: T5. Cheryl Terrio 3.80m (12-5.50); 9. Vica Shobe 3.65m (11-11.75); 12. Liza Todd 3.65m (11-11.75); -. Emily Pease NH.
Shot Put: 9. Precious Akins 14.13m (46-4.25).
MEN – FINALS:
Weight Throw: 2. Brook Antonio 20.64m (67-08.75); 5. Jason Cook 17.93m (58-10.00); 9. David Zaycek 16.89m (55-5.00); 11. Tyler Trout 16.40m (53-9.75).
Long Jump: 2. Greig Cryer 7.84m (25-8.75); 15. Derek Pressley 6.89m (22-7.25).
Heptathlon: 4. Greg Royster 5264; 7. Curt McGill 4773.
Heptathlon Individual Events: 55-meter Hurdles: 5. McGill 7.87; 7. Royster 8.19. Pole Vault: 2. Royster 4.83m (15-10.00); 9. McGill 3.63m (11-10.75). 1000-meter Run: 2. Royster 2:47.98; 10. McGill 3:09.16.
WOMEN’S PRELIMS:
55 meter dash: 1. Amberly Nesbitt 6.74q, 4. Shalonda Solomon 6.81q, 29. Dishari’ck Howze 7.40.
55 meter Hurdles: 4. Ronetta Alexander 7.65q; 8. Kettiany Clarke 7.98q; 10. Chiquita Martin 8.08; 11. Trier Young 8.11; 13. Reanna Townsend 8.31.
200 meter dash: 3. Shalonda Solomon 23.35q; 6. Amberly Nesbitt 23.69q; 24. Faraign Giles 24.88; 34. Trier Young 26.28; 38. Dishari’ck Howze 26.47.
400 meter dash: 4. Natasha Hastings 54.32q; 14. Chiquita Martin 55.99; 16. Faraign Giles 56.49; 17. Nikeshia Brown 56.64; 18. Bailey Lewis 56.85; -. Stephanie Smith DNF.
800 meter run: 6. Shay Shelton 2:10.21q; 23. Kelsey Bristol 2:20.38; 26. Chelsea Kaczmarek 2:25.84.
MEN’S PRELIMS:
55 meter dash: 2. Adrian Durant 6.27q; 8. Leroy Dixon 6.32q; 20. Nick Lytle 6.42; 21. Johnathan Hancock 6.42.
55 meter Hurdles: 9. Jason Richardson 7.49q; 14. Thomas Hilliard 7.57.
200 meter dash: 5. Leroy Dixon 21.37; 20. Adrian Durant 22.05; 23. Nick Lytle 22.14; 27. Johnathan Hancock 22.49; 28. Jamil James 22.52.
400 meter dash: 3. Keith Hinnant 47.50q; 23. Jussi Heikkila 49.58; 25. Thomas Hilliard 49.84.
800 meter run: 11. Johnny Baez 1:53.89; 19. Shawn Cunningham 1:56.18.
Mile Run: 22. Matt Hoffman 4:25.68.
