May 9, 2006
The SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Fayetteville May 11-14. Ask USC Head Coach Curtis Frye about the SEC Outdoor Championships, hosted at Arkansas this weekend and it sounds like he can’t get there fast enough.
“You can run the SEC meet on Mars and the things that really matter, the athletes, will perform at the highest level. Arkansas probably has the best following for track in the country because of their outstanding indoor facility and their success over so many years,” said Frye. “With a new stadium opening and a great crowd that understands track, it might be the best-attended meet in the country, including the NCAA Championships, as far as the fans are concerned. I love going to track meets where the fans are interested, knowledgeable and love the sport. Fayetteville loves the sport. It’s gonna be a great weekend!”
The USC women were ranked No. 9 nationally and the men are ranked No. 23 (trackwire.com). Texas regained the No. 1 spot on the women’s side this week, while Florida State is No. 1 on the men’s side. Known traditionally as the top track conference in the country, the SEC has four teams in the top nine on the women’s side and four in the top 10 on the men’s side.
USC’s women won the SEC title last season and finished tied for third at the 2006 SEC Indoor meet. USC has two relays (4×1, 4×4) and three athletes looking to defend SEC titles won last year (Shalonda Solomon, 200m; Natasha Hastings, 400m; and Kemesha Whitmire, triple jump).
Frye expects the Georgia women, winners of the SEC Indoor title this season, to be the favorite to win the outdoor title as well. “Georgia, in my opinioin, is the third best team in the country right now. LSU, Auburn are top five teams nationally. We should be a top 10 team,” said Frye. “The favorite is Georgia. They will be better outdoors because they add the javelin. Auburn has a really good team. They are strong in the middle distance, have good hurdlers and two great relays. LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee – we hope to be in that company someplace. I would be disappointed if we were less than fifth. I would like to be chasing Georgia. It’s Georgia’s meet to lose.”
When asked what USC would have to do to repeat its win last year, Frye pointed out the team would have to have a much better championship than they have had this season. “Our kids are all doing well,” said Frye. “Our kids are ready to have a good meet, but I anticipate the whole conference having a good meet as there are very few upsets in the SEC.”
Frye believes the SC women’s team is two years away from winning the title again. “Georgia doesn’t lose anybody next year,” he said. “It’s going to be a war. We are a good team; we’re always going to have a chance to take advantage of the possibilities. Our team has always performed well in championships and that’s all we can control. We are close to being the team we are supposed to be.”
Frye believes on paper Georgia looks like they can score 130 points. “It’s going to take 120 points to win,” speculated Frye. “Auburn looks like they can score 105. LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee can score about 103- maybe Tennessee can score 105. But Georgia is tough.”
Individually – Shalonda Solomon will be looked at score big points in the 100m and 200m, but Frye has quite a list to chose from going to the SEC meet. Solomon won the 200m NCAA title indoors this season.
“Shalonda can win the 200m and be in the top running of the 100m,” said Frye. “Amberly Nesbitt has to be in the hunt in the 100m and 200m. Cheryl Terrio was fifth indoors at the NCAA meet and she’s a senior so we expect big things from her in the pole vault. Precious Akins has to do well with the discus and get some points in the shot put. We should do well in the 4×1 (top two) and 4×4 (top three). And hopefully we can get one of our quarter-milers in the game. If Stephanie Smith can get down to the 52’s at SECs and get down to the 51’s by the regional, we would be in good shape. Ronnetta Alexander has an outside chance at being a scorer in the regional and should run well at the SEC Championships. This is a pre-curser to the NCAA Regional and it will tell a lot.”
USC’s men finished ninth last season outdoors before finishing 33rd at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Indoors, the men were fifth at the 2006 SEC Indoor meet with Arkansas winning the SEC and NCAA titles.
“Leroy Dixon, Jason Richardson, Brook Antonio and Greig Cryer are our big guns. They have to get it done at the SEC Championships and there is no reason they can’t get it done at NCAAs. We have a good 4×4, it’s coming right along,” said Frye.
Frye believes it will be a three-way fight for the title between Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida. Frye sees South Carolina, LSU and Auburn all fighting to be top six. “To be in the top six on the men’s side we have to do the things we did on paper,” said Frye. “We have to have the same meet that our kids that have qualified for the regionals have had – they have to have the same (or better) times and marks. If they can do that, then we can be in the top five.
“Saturday’s meet was a very good day for us (at Clemson’s Orange and Purple Classic),” continued Frye “Jim Mitchell had a great meet, qualifying for the regionals in the shot put. Tyler (Trout) is becoming consistent in the throws. Brook Antonio has to be in the top three in both throws. Greig Cryer has to win the long jump – he is the best in the league. He has to be top three in the triple jump. Our seniors have to compete. Greg Royster has to be in the top five in the decathlon. Leroy Dixon has got to be in the top three in both sprints (100m, 200m). Jason Richardson has to be in the top three in both hurdles (110m hurdles and 400m hurdles). If we score 80 points in the meet I will be happy and we can do that.”
The USC men and women have won the SEC Outdoor Commissioner’s Trophy five times since 1996 (athlete with the highest point total). The list includes USA Olympic finalist Dawn Ellerbe (1996), Kevin Mannon (1997), two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell (1999), Antoinette Wilks (2002) and Erica Whipple (2003).
Outdoors, the men have won 16 SEC individual titles and one relay since first competing in the SEC meet in 1992. On the track (indoors and outdoors), Trammell won eight SEC titles and Otukile Lekote won seven SEC titles. In field events, two-time Olympian Brad Snyder won seven SEC titles. Ron Willis won USC’s first SEC outdoor title in 1993 (discus) and followed up that performance by winning the 35lb. weight at the NCAA Championships in 1994, helping the men to a 19th place finish.
Trammell (six), Lekote (four) and Snyder (three) won 13 of USC’s 16 NCAA titles.
Outdoors, the women have won 33 SEC individual titles and seven relays since first competing in the SEC Championship in 1993. Leslie Coons won USC’s first SEC outdoor title on the women’s side in 1994 (javelin). She followed up her SEC title by becoming USC’s first All-American in 1995 (javelin).
On the track, Miki Barber won a school-high SEC eight titles, while in field events Dawn Ellerbe and Crystal Brownlee each won five SEC titles.
All told, Demetria Washington (five in track) and Ellerbe (four in field) won the most NCAA titles of any Gamecock.
The USC women join just Texas and UCLA as the only three women’s programs to finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships the past 10 years, beginning with its ninth place finish in 1996. USC won the NCAA title in 2002 and finished as the runner-up in 2005.
The SEC Championships have provided the Gamecocks an excellent springboard for the NCAAs. SC’s women have won three SEC titles in the last seven years and have finished as the runner-up three times since 1996 as well. In addition, the USC women have finished in the top three every year since 1996, with the exception of 2003 and ’04 when the Gamecock women were fourth. USC finishes the last 10 years at the SEC Outdoor Championships: 1996 (2nd), 1997 (3rd), 1998 (2nd), 1999 (1st), 2000 (2nd), 2001 (3rd), 2002 (1st), 2003 (4th), 2004 (4th) and 2005 (1st).
Adding women’s track and field in 1991, USC scored in its first SEC Outdoor Championship in 1993 when it finished 10th, followed up by a fifth place finish in 1995 and an eighth place finish in 1996.
The Carolina men have also used the SEC Championships as an outstanding tune-up for the NCAA Championships – finishing in the top 31 nationally eight straight years – including three top-10 finishes and a program-high sixth twice outdoors (1999, 2002; 10th, 2003).
Finishing ninth last season at the SEC Championship, the men have finished in the top six six times since 1994 (1994, 4th; 1996, 5th; 1997, 5th; 1998, 5th; 1999, 5th; 2003, 6th).
The NCAA East Regional will be hosted by North Carolina A&T University May 26-27 in Greensboro, N.C. South Carolina’s women are the defending champions as the men finished fourth last season.
The women have 21 athletes qualified in 11 events, including two relays (4×1, 4×4) for the NCAA Regional in Greensboro, N.C. later this month. The men have 19 athletes qualified for 13 events, including the 4x400m relay.
South Carolina has broken three school records this spring — all on the women’s side.
Precious Akins (185′ 9) broke former four-time NCAA champion Dawn Ellerbe’s nine-year old school record in the discus (1997, 183’8) in April.
In a matter of 24 hours Shalonda Solomon scratched two former Gamecock greats out of the USC records books in the 100m and 200m. On Friday at the Sea Ray Relays Solomon ran a 11.12 in the 100m final to top Erica Whipple’s school record run of 11.15 in 2003. The next day Solomon scorched the track to break former three-time NCAA champion Aleen Bailey’s school record in the 200m at 22.53 (Bailey ran a 22.54 in 2002). Bailey went on to win a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Jamacia’s 4x100m relay. Solomon also shattered Bailey’s indoor school record in the 200m to win the 2006 NCAA title. Solomon’s 22.57 topped Bailey’s 23.03 in 2003.
Solomon’s times at Sea Ray Relays were then-world leaders. Her 200m time (22.53) is No. 1 in the NCAA and No. 3 worldwide. Her 100m time is No. 2 in the NCAA and No. 3 worldwide.
USC’s women are ranked No. 9 nationally and the men are ranked No. 23.
Shalonda Solomon is No. 1 in the 200m and No. 4 in the 100m on this week’s Dandy Dozen, complied by trackwire.com. See the following for Carolina women in the Dandy Dozen, followed by the Gamecock men. Jason Richardson moved up to No. 2 recently on the Dandy Dozen after his win over Oregon’s Eric Mitchum.
Sophomores, both Richardson and Solomon were named the Gatorade National Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2004.
CAROLINA WOMEN IN THE DANDY DOZEN
100 Meters
4. Shalonda Solomon, So. Carolina 7. Amberly Nesbitt, So. Carolina
200 Meters
1. Shalonda Solomon, So. Carolina
100-Meter Hurdles
6. Netta Alexander, So. Carolina
4 X 100-Meter Relay
4. South Carolina
4 X 400-Meter Relay
5. South Carolina
CAROLINA MEN IN THE DANDY DOZEN
110-Meter Hurdles
2. Jason Richardson, So. Carolina
Long Jump
4. Greig Cryer, So. Carolina
