Jan. 27, 2007
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Junior Jason Richardson finished second in the 55-meter hurdles, then ran the anchor leg of South Carolina’s 4x400m relay team that placed first at the Diet Pepsi Invitational on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.
Richardson ran 7.28 in the prelims of the 55m hurdles to finish third and later broke the tape in a personal-best 7.18 to earn the silver medal in the finals. He was one-hundredth of a second shy of recording an automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
In the 4x400m relay, senior Thomas Hilliard ran the lead leg, followed by junior Keith Hinnant, freshman Quentin Moore and Richardson as the anchor. The Gamecocks won the race in a time of 3:10.57, which gave them their first provisional time of the season for NCAAs.
On the women’s side, junior Natasha Hastings won the 400 for the second week in a row in 53.22, good for another provisional time. Freshman Brandi Cross was third in the race at 55.12 and classmate Krystal Cantey placed fifth in 55.62. Senior Chiquita Martin took sixth in 55.66, junior Faraign Giles was eighth in a time of 56.12 and senior Stephanie Smith was 10th at 56.37.
The Gamecocks’ depth in the 400 allowed them to win the 4x400m relay for the third straight week. Cantey was the lead runner, Giles ran the second leg, Smith the third and Hastings served as the anchor. South Carolina posted a time of 3:43.99.
Senior Precious Akins set a personal record in the 20-pound weight throw with a toss of 62-10 to beat her previous mark by over three feet. It also was a provisional NCAA qualifying figure. She had her best throw of the season in the shot put at 48-0 1/2 as well.
In the pole vault, senior Dan McKenzie tied his personal record with a third-place finish after clearing 17-0 3/4, enough for a provisional mark.
Hinnant took sixth in the 400 with a clocking of 48.26, and Hilliard was right on his heels with a 48.38 time that placed seventh. Moore was just behind Hilliard with an eighth-place time of 48.41, and junior Jamil James was 18th (49.97) and senior Jonathan Fortenberry was 19th (50.05).
In other men’s races, sophomore Johnathan Hancock finished ninth in the finals of the 55m dash, posting a 6.45 time that stands as the top time by a Gamecock this year. In the 200, junior Nick Lytle placed 13th with a 22.29 time. Junior Ray Miley was fifth in the 800 at 1:52.96 and classmate Sean Leyh was 15th (1:57.95).
The women’s mile run saw junior Rebecca Chain set a PR for the second week in a row, crossing the finish line in 5:07.69. Senior Tyler Trout set a PR in the 35-pound weight throw as well, tossing it 60-10 3/4 to garner the silver medal.
In the women’s 55mH, Martin ran a 7.99 in the finals to finish sixth, while sophomore Trier Young took eighth in 8.04.
Freshman Lisa McKinney ran under 11 minutes in the 3K run for the first time this year with a time of 10:52.69 that finished eighth. Redshirt sophomore Callie Rabun also ran the 3K in a PR of 10:59.05.
Both the men’s and women’s teams ran the distance medley relay for the first time this year. The men’s squad of Leyh, James, Miley and Johnny Baez finished second in the event with a time of 10:22.95. Chain, Martin, Cross and redshirt freshman Casey Gale took fourth for the women in 12:19.46.
South Carolina continues the indoor season with the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at The Armory Track in New York City over Feb. 2-3.
Men’s 55m Dash (Prelims)
15. Johnathan Hancock 6.50
Men’s 55m Dash (Finals)
9. Johnathan Hancock 6.45
Men’s 200m Dash (Finals)
13. Nick Lytle 22.29
Men’s 400m Dash (Finals)
6. Keith Hinnant 48.26, 7. Thomas Hilliard 48.38, 8. Quentin Moore 48.41, 18. Jamil James 49.97, 19. Jonathan Fortenberry 50.05
Men’s 800m Run (Finals)
5. Ray Miley 1:52.96, 15. Sean Leyh 1:57.95
Men’s Mile Run (Finals)
13. Johnny Baez 4:19.03, 28. Daniel Williams 4:26.76
Men’s 55m Hurdles (Prelims)
3. Jason Richardson 7.28
Men’s 55m Hurdles (Finals)
2. Jason Richardson 7.18
Men’s 4x400m Relay (Finals)
1. Hilliard, Hinnant, Moore, Richardson 3:10.57
Men’s Distance Medley Relay (Finals)
2. Leyh, James, Miley, Baez 10:22.95
Men’s Pole Vault (Finals)
3. Dan McKenzie 17-0 3/4
Men’s Shot Put (Finals)
7. Jason Cook 53-1 3/4, 8. Jim Mitchell 52-2
Men’s 35-Pound Weight (Finals)
2. Tyler Trout 60-10 3/4, 5. Jason Cook 58-0 1/4, 8. Anthony Faulkner 51-9
Women’s 55m Dash (Prelims)
4. Shalonda Solomon 6.96
Women’s 400m Dash (Finals)
1. Natasha Hastings 53.22, 3. Brandi Cross 55.12, 5. Krystal Cantey 55.62, 6. Chiquita Martin 55.66, 8. Faraign Giles 56.12, 10. Stephanie Smith 56.37, 23. Nikeshia Brown 59.78
Women’s Mile Run (Finals)
8. Rebecca Chain 5:07.69, 15. Casey Gale 5:13.63, 22. Kelsey Bristol 5:22.98, 26. Anna Petrov 5:27.81
Women’s 3,000m Run (Finals)
23. Lisa McKinney 10:52.69, 28. Callie Rabun 10:59.05
Women’s 55m Hurdles (Prelims)
5. Ronnetta Alexander 8.02, 8. Trier Young 8.11, 9. Chiquita Martin 8.17
Women’s 55m Hurdles (Finals)
6. Chiquita Martin 7.99, 8. Trier Young 8.04
Women’s 4x400m Relay (Finals)
1. Cantey, Giles, Smith, Hastings 3:43.99
Women’s Distance Medley Relay (Finals)
4. Chain, Martin, Cross, Gale 12:19.46
Women’s Pole Vault (Finals)
T8. Liza Todd 11-4 1/2, T11. Sallie Gurganus 11-4 1/2
Women’s Shot Put (Finals)
4. Precious Akins 48-0 1/2
Women’s 20-Pound Weight (Finals)
5. Precious Akins 62-10
