June 9, 2006

Sacramento, Calif. – South Carolina picked up All-American honors in the women’s 4x100m relay, the women’s 400m hurdles and the men’s 110m hurdles today in the third day of the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

The women have the following in the finals Saturday: 100m (Solomon, Nesbitt), 200m (Solomon), 400m (Hastings), 4×400 relay and Terrio in the semi-finals of the pole vault. USC has Leroy Dixon in the finals of the 100m in the final day.

The final day, Sat., June 10th, will be televised by the CBS-TV from 3:30 – 6 pm (EST).

“Today is a bittersweet day. We had all the stars lined up for us today and didn’t always take advantage of it, but our kids competed hard,” said USC head coach Curtis Frye. “We are still shooting for a top five finish for the women and now a top 30 finish for the men.”

Jason Richardson matched last year’s results when he finished third in the 110m hurdle finals, garnering the third All-American honors of his career. He crossed the finish line at 13.51. Sixty-five minutes later he ran a 50.82 in the 400m hurdles semi-finals to finish seventh in his heat and 12th overall, not advancing to the finals. He is the only athlete in the NCAA (men and women) to run the finals of the high hurdles and the semi’s of the intermediates.

Precious Akins of Charleston finished fourth in the discus, throwing the circle 176′ 0. The East Region champion garners the first-ever All-American honors for a discus thrower and the first All-American honors for a USC thrower in six years (last, Candy Mitchell, 2000, javelin). She made the meet as a freshman, but did not make the finals. She broke the school record earlier this season at 185′ 9.

“It feels great, but I wish I had done better. I am excited and happy to contribute,” said Akins.

USC’s 4x100m relay finished fourth with a season-best time of 43.09. The time is the third fastest time in school history and it’s the eighth-straight year the Gamecocks have scored in the event, winning it in 2002. The relay included (All-American honors are in (): Nasthsa Hastings (5 AA), Amberly Nesbitt (2 AA), Faraign Giles (1 AA) and Shalonda Solomon (8 AA).

Solomon won her heat of the 200m with the fastest time of the day, qualifying at 22.66. She will run the finals of the 100m at 12:35 pm and then the finals of the 200m at 1:30 pm. She won the 200m indoors at the NCAA meet.

“I wasn’t trying to run the fastest time because you can run your fastest time today and not do anything in the finals tomorrow,” said Solomon, the 2006 SEC Indoor Athlete of the Year. “I wanted to win my heat and get in the finals. I have to get some rest tomorrow.”

Hastings ran a season-best 51.45 to finish as the runner-up in the 400m semifinals and qualified for the finals. She qualifies with the third-best time.

“I wanted to go out hard and make the finals,” said Hastings, the runner-up at the SEC and East Region meet.

On the men’s side Leroy Dixon, already qualified for the 100m final, Dixon ran a 21.06 to finish sixth in the semi-finals of the 200m and did not advance. He finished 14th overall.

Chiquita Martin ran her second straight PR with a time of 57.78 in the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles, but did not make the finals. She finished 11th and picked up All-American honors.

NCAA Championship Men’s Results – All times are local

NCAA Championship Women’s Results – All times are local

4x100m relay (SEASON BEST TIME) 43.09 4th/finals 3rd fastest time in USC history
Nasthsa Hastings (Rosedale, N.Y.) – 5 AA Amberly Nesbitt (Greenville, S.C.) – 2 AA
Faraign Giles (Virginia Beach, Va.) – 1st AA Shalonda Solomon (Inglewood, Calif.) – 8 AA