May 14, 2006
Fayetteville, Ark. – USC won two gold, four silver and seven bronze medals in the final night of the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with the women finishing third with 86 ½ points, five and a half points ahead of LSU (81 points). The men finished fifth with 77 points, its best finish since 1999. USC also set three school records and picked up 11 new/improved NCAA regional marks/times in the final evening of competition.
All told, USC won 16 medals during the four-day championship (2 gold, 4 silver, 10 bronze). Georgia won the women’s title by one point over Auburn and Arkansas won its 13th men’s title in 15 years. USC will rest next weekend with the NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C. May 26-27.
“The kids had a great day – all of them, they had an incredible day. The men hanging onto fifth place in the SEC Championship, you can’t ask for anything more than that. Trey Bell getting second in the pole vault and the performances by Jason Richardson and Thomas Hilliard in the hurdles races were phenomenal,” said USC Head Coach Curtis Frye. “To run 22.36 legal (wind reading) is incredible for Shalonda. She has a lot of potential to run even faster than that.”
USC repeated as the women’s 4x100m relay champions. The team of Natasha Hastings, Amberly Nesbitt, Faraign Giles and Shalonda Solomon posted a time of 43.81 to capture the gold medal. It is the third 4x100m relay title for the Gamecocks in the past six years.
Solomon blazed past the field to win the 200m with the second-fastest time in the world this year, reaching the finish line in a school-record 22.36 – missing the SEC meet record by .01. Her previous best was 22.53, also a school record.
“I just kept pushing, kept running (perfect race in the 200m): I don’t know yet. I have to ask my coach about that,” said Solomon, the SEC Indoor Runner of the Year after winning the NCAA 200m indoor title.
Solomon broke her own school record to win the bronze medal in the 100m, crossing the line at 11.08 and is an NCAA regional improvement. Solomon’s time is the fourth fastest time in the world this year, with SEC champion Kerron Stewart running a world leader at 11.03. Greenville’s Amberly Nesbitt was seventh at 11.31 and finished eighth in the 200m at 22.36 – an improved NCAA regional time.
Irmo’s Trey Bell finished as the runner-up in the pole vault, cross the bar at 16′ 6 ¾, matching his PR. It was the highest finish for a USC pole vaulter since Chris Steddum finished as the runner-up in 2002 after winning the title in 2001. Bell matched his NCAA regional qualifier.
“He’s been injured for the last month and he hasn’t done anything until a couple days ago. What an incredible performance,” said pole vault coach Rusty Shealy. “I told him in warm-ups to just get a couple warm-ups in and then just give it everything you got in the jumps. He is the stud of the day – what an incredible performance. He really sucked it up.”
“I don’t think they had me down for any points coming in because I was injured and to finish second is great,” said Bell, a graduate of Dutch Fork High School.
Jason Richardson finished as the runner-up with an NCAA regional improvement of 13.51 in the 110m hurdles and was just .01 off his personal best. Thomas Hilliard was seventh with a personal best and NCAA regional qualifying time of 13.90.
Richardson completed the hurdle double by finishing as the runner-up in the 400m hurdles with a personal best 50.45, climbing his way back into the race in the final two hurdles after trailing far behind. Training partner Hilliard shattered his own personal best, crossing the line in fourth place at 50.94. Both posted improved NCAA regional times.
“The goal in the 400m hurdles is to find the right balance. I had to kick at the end or I would have finished in like 12th place,” said Richardson. “When I saw Thomas pass me, I knew I had to kick at the end and hope I had something left.”
“My first eight hurdles really surprised me because I was leading. Off hurdle 10 I thought I could get third, but then Jason came zooming by me and if I had to get passed at the end I was glad it was Jason,” said Hilliard, a former USC soccer player. “This was a season goal to run a 50. 400m hurdles race. This is a great achievement. When I ran a 13 point in the 110’s, I was a little emotional, but this one is really good. The boulder is off my chest now.”
Hastings finished as the runner-up in the 400m running a 52.18 after winning the title in 2005. Stephanie Smith was eighth at 53.76. Both ran faster in the prelims.
The women’s 4x400m relay of Smith, Giles, Shay Sheldon and Hastings finished third with a time of 3:33.20. Richardson and Hilliard teamed up with Jamil James and Keith Hinnant to finish in third place in the 4x400m relay, posting a time of 3:07.61. It topped its previous NCAA regional time.
Brook ‘Tony’ Antonio picked up his second bronze medal of the SEC meet with his third place finish in the discus. Antonio hit 178′ 11 to add to his bronze medal in the hammer on Friday.
Precious Akins finished as the bronze medalist in the shot put, hitting 53′ 0, a personal best and an improvement on her NCAA regional mark. It was a three and half foot PR for Akins who was third in the discus on Saturday.
“Precious’ PR was huge. But I am not surprised because I have seen her throw far in practice. She really put it together tonight and I don’t think it could be much sweeter given the circumstances (SEC meet),” said USC throws coach Mike Sergent. “Tony competed really well. Everybody had the same conditions (massive tail wind), but that is the most consistent and the most throws he’s had to 180 feet in the season. He did a great job. Right up until the end the door was open. This meet really helped Tony. He really stepped up and competed well. You have to be a little concerned because he took last year off (to concentrate on football). You never know how being away is going to affect somebody. For him to come back and finish with two thirds is awesome.”
Ronnetta Alexander won the bronze medal, running a personal best, to lead a trio of Gamecocks in the 100m hurdles. Alexander bettered her NCAA regional time to 13.10. Chiquita Martin was seventh with a personal best 13.46 and KeKe Clark was ninth at 13.56, with Martin bettering her NCAA regional time.
Martin was third in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.12. Bailey Lewis was sixth with a personal best of 1:01.71.
Greig Cryer finished fifth in the triple jump, hitting the pit at 49′ 11. He has already regionally qualified. Derek Pressley picked up his first regional qualifying mark as he scored at 49′ 5 ¾ with his seventh place finish.
Leroy Dixon finished fifth in the 100m at 10.31 and eighth in the 200m at 21.18. Joe Schroeder was eighth in the javelin at 192′ 9.
MEN
4X400M RELAY – 3rd place – 3:06.71 – RQ
Keith Hinnant, Thomas Hilliard, Jason Richardson, Thomas Hilliard, Jamil James
DISCUS
Brook Antonio – 3rd place – 178′ 11
Dave Zaycek – 11th place – 160 ‘ 7
Jason Cook – 16th place – 151′ 2
Joe Schroeder – 19th place – 142′ 8
JAVELIN
Joe Schroeder – 8th place – 192′ 9
TRIPLE JUMP
Greig Cryer – 5th place – 49′ 11
Derek Pressley – 7th place – 49′ 5 ¾ – RQ
POLE VAULT
Trey Bell – runner-up – 16′ 6 ¾ – R Q
100M
Leroy Dixon – 5th place – 10.31
200M
Leroy Dixon – 8th place – 21.18
800M
Shawn Cunningham – 8th place – 1:52.70
110M HURDLES
Jason Richardson – runner-up – 13.51 – RQ
Thomas Hilliard – 7th place – 13.90 – RQ, PB
400m Hurdles
Jason Richardson – runner-up – 50.45 – PR, RQ
Thomas Hilliard – 4th place – 50.94 – PR, RQ
Women
4X100M RELAY – CHAMPIONS – 43.81
Natasha Hastings, Amberly Nesbitt, Faraign Giles, Shalonda Solomon
4x400M Relay – 3rd place – 3:33.46
Stephanie Smith, Faraign Giles, Shay Sheldon, Natasha Hastings
100M
Shalonda Solomon – 3rd place – 11.08 – SR, RQ
Amberly Nesbitt – 7th place – 11.31
200M
Shalonda Solomon – CHAMPION – 22.36 – SR, RQ – 2nd fastest time in world
Amberly Nesbitt – 7th place – 23.36 – RQ
400M
Natasha Hastings – runner-up – 52.18
Stephanie Smith – 8th place – 53.76
100M HURDLES
Ronnetta Alexander – 3rd place – 13.10 – PB, RQ
Chiquita Martin – 7th place – 13.46 – PB, RQ
KeKe Clarke – 9th place – 13.56
400m Hurdles
Chiquita Martin – 3rd place – 59.12
Bailey Lewis – 6th place – 1:01.71 PR
SHOT PUT
Precious Akins – 3rd place – 53′ 0 – PB, RQ
TRIPLE JUMP
Kemesha Whitmire – 9th place – 40′ 5
Reanna Townsend – 18th place – 36′ 6 1/4
SR – School Record
PB – Personal Best
RQ – NCAA Regional Qualifier
