March 9, 2006

University of South Carolina standout sprinters Shalonda Solomon and Leroy Dixon have been selected as the Southeast Region Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), it was announced today.

Solomon, a sophomore from Inglewood, Calif. and a three-time SEC indoor track & field Athlete of the Week, owns the nation’s fastest time in the 200-meter dash and also qualified for the national meet in the 60 meters. In addition, she will anchor USC’s 4×400 meter relay unit.

Dixon, a senior from South Bend, Ind., is one of the nation’s fastest performers in the 200 meters with a season-best time of 21.01 seconds. He also finished third at the SEC meet in the 55-meter dash.

Both Solomon and Dixon will be considered for the national awards, which will be announced next week.

Solomon and Dixon will lead the USC contingent into Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, which get underway Friday afternoon at the Tyson Indoor Facility on the University of Arkansas campus. The Carolina women are pegged to finish in a tie for eighth place with Providence and Miami (Fla.), while the men are expected to tie Big 12 schools Nebraska and Kansas State for 17th place, according to the latest Trackwire.com poll.