Feb. 1, 2007

Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

ON TAP THIS WEEK: The South Carolina men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete in New York City at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at The Armory Track over Friday and Saturday. Select athletes also will compete in the 100th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening.

MEN’S RECAP FROM THE DIET PEPSI INVITATIONAL: At the Diet Pepsi Invitational last weekend in Gainesville, Fla., junior hurdler Jason Richardson ran 7.28 in the prelims of the 55-meter hurdles, which gave him the third-fastest time in qualifying. In the finals, Richardson finished second with a PR of 7.18, one-hundredth of a second from an automatic NCAA Indoor Championships qualifying mark. Richardson currently has the second-fastest collegiate time in the nation for the 60mH. Senior Thomas Hilliard, IV, owns the fourth-best time nationally for the 60mH as well. Senior Dan McKenzie tied his personal record in the pole vault by clearing 17-0 3/4 for the second week in a row. It also was a provisional mark for McKenzie. In the men’s 4x400m relay, the Gamecocks scored a victory and provisional time at 3:10.57. The Gamecocks’ 4×400 team has the fourth-best time in the country. Senior Tyler Trout broke his PR in the 35-pound weight for the second time this spring with a toss of 60-10 3/4.

WOMEN’S RECAP FROM THE DIET PEPSI INVITATIONAL: At the Diet Pepsi Invitational last weekend in Gainesville, Fla., junior Natasha Hastings won the 400-meter dash for the second time in as many weeks with another provisional time. Overall in the 400, South Carolina had six athletes finish among the top 10. Hastings owns the No. 2 time in the 400 among college athletes this year with a 52.85 time, and she ranks 10th in the 200 with a 23.63 clocking. Junior Shalonda Solomon’s 23.16 in the 200 ranks first nationally as well. Freshman Krystal Cantey and senior Stephanie Smith have the 12th- and 13th-fastest times this year in the 400. In the 20-pound weight throw, senior Precious Akins established a personal record with a toss of 62-10, good for an NCAA provisional mark. The Gamecocks’ multi-event athletes competed in Lynchburg, Va., at the On Track Open which saw sophomore Kettiany Clarke record a provisional point total in the pentathlon at 3,713. In the 60mH, sophomore Brittney James won the event and missed a provisional time by just two-hundredths of a second.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS FOR THE MEN: The Gamecock men have a pair of All-Americans on the roster this season with redshirt senior Jonathan Fortenberry and junior Jason Richardson. Fortenberry has been hampered by an Achilles’ heel injury each of the past three seasons but is hoping to finish his career on a high note. He owns six All-America citations and was a member of the 4x400m relay team that won the 2002 NCAA outdoor championship. Richardson’s four All-America awards have come as a result of his work in the hurdles.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS FOR THE WOMEN: Nine women return for 2007 with All-America credentials. Headlining the group is junior Shalonda Solomon, who owns 10 citations in just two years running the sprints and relays. She is the defending NCAA champion in the 200m both indoors and outdoors. Senior Stephanie Smith has eight to her credit and junior Natasha Hastings is a seven-time All-American. Junior Amberly Nesbitt, the 2006 NCAA 100m champion, is a four-time honoree, and senior Chiquita Martin has three to her credit. Redshirt junior Ronnetta Alexander, junior Faraign Giles and redshirt senior Tawana Watkins all have two. Senior Precious Akins earned an All-America award last year in the discus.

DANDY DOZEN RANKINGS: Trackwire’s Dandy Dozen rankings currently have junior Jason Richardson listed at No. 2 in the nation for the 60m hurdles, and redshirt senior Thomas Hilliard, IV, is ranked No. 10. The Gamecock men’s 4x400m relay is ranked fourth as well. On the women’s side, junior Shalonda Solomon is ranked eighth in the 60 and classmate Amberly Nesbitt is 10th. Solomon is rated No. 1 in the 200 and junior Natasha Hastings is No. 4 in the 400. USC’s 4×400 team holds down the No. 2 position behind LSU.

WHERE THE TIMES STAND IN 2007: Below is a list of where some of South Carolina’s times and marks stand among the collegiate ranks this year. All times/marks are NCAA provisional figures with the exception of Shalonda Solomon’s 23.16 time in the 200 that is an automatic mark.

Men
60-Meter Hurdles
• Jason Richardson: 2nd (7.71)*
• Thomas Hilliard, IV: 4th (7.77)*
4×400-Meter Relay
• Hilliard, Hinnant, Richardson, Moore: 4th (3:08.97)*
Pole Vault
• Dan McKenzie: 12th (17-0 3/4)

Women
60-Meter Dash
• Shalonda Solomon: 10th (7.37)
200-Meter Dash
• Shalonda Solomon: 1st (23.16)
• Natasha Hastings: 10th (23.63)
400-Meter Dash
• Natasha Hastings: 2nd (52.85)
• Krystal Cantey: 12th (54.28)
• Stephanie Smith: 13th (54.36)
4x400m Relay
• Cross, Smith, Giles, Hastings: 3rd (3:36.44)
20-Pound Weight
• Precious Akins: 15th (62-10)
Pentathlon
• Kettiany Clarke: 23rd (3,713)

* Converted time

WOMEN LOOK TO EXTEND NCAA STREAKS IN 2007: South Carolina’s women’s track and field program looks to extend its streak of top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships to eight this year. The Gamecocks have earned three runner-up trophies at the national indoors (2000, 2001, 2003) and placed 10th last season. Outdoors, the women hope to make it 12 straight top-10 finishes. Carolina won the school’s first and only NCAA team championship in 2002, and the women placed second once. In 2006, South Carolina recorded a third-place finish and was just a half-point shy of tying for second. The Gamecocks were third one other time in 2003.

NCAA CHAMPS ON THIS YEAR’S TEAM: The Gamecocks have three women on this year’s squad who have won NCAA championships. Junior Shalonda Solomon is the defending champ in the 200m for both indoors and outdoors. Classmate Amberly Nesbitt won the 100m last year at the outdoor meet, and senior Stephanie Smith was a member of the 4x400m relay team that won gold at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships. Solomon was a member of the relay as well. On the men’s team, redshirt senior Jonathan Fortenberry won an NCAA title his freshman year in 2002 as the anchor runner of the 4x400m team at the national outdoor meet.

RICHARDSON LOOKS FOR GOLD: Junior Jason Richardson is looking for his first gold medal in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships this year. As a freshman in 2005, Richardson finished third and he did likewise in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Richardson was unlucky at last year’s indoor meet, clipping a hurdle late in the finals, then falling, and not finishing the race. He took the bronze medal in the short hurdles for the outdoor campaign as well.

QUEEN SOLOMON: Junior Shalonda Solomon has earned numerous awards during her two years with the Gamecocks. She owns 10 All-America citations and three NCAA titles. Below is a look at many of her career highlights with South Carolina.

• 10 All-America citations
• 2006 NCAA indoor and outdoor 200m dash champion
• 2006 Southeastern Conference Indoor Runner of the Year
• 2006 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year
• 2006 USTFCCCA Indoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year
• 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-District III Second Team
• 2006 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
• Had the fifth-fastest time in the 100m in 2006 among American women and was ranked eighth in the world
• Rated fourth in the USA for the 200m outdoors and was seventh in the world
• Top time in the 200m indoors is 22.57, set when she won the NCAA title last year
• Her top outdoor time in the 200m is 22.30, which was wind-aided; Best unaided time was 22.36
• Was the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Track and Field Athlete of the Year her final two years of high school in California
• Never finished lower than third in the 200m at a collegiate outdoor meet
• Undefeated in the 200m outdoors in 2006 at collegiate meets
• In the 200m indoors and outdoors in 2006, never placed below second in a collegiate meet
• Silver medalist at the 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 200m
• Named SEC Runner of the Week three times during the 2006 indoor season and did likewise outdoors
• Earned SEC Runner of the Week once in 2007
• Her 23.16 time in the 200m earlier this season ranks first among collegiate athletes and is an automatic qualifying mark for NCAAs
• 2005 and 2006 SEC outdoor 200m champion
• Anchored the 2005 and 2006 SEC 4x100m relay champion teams

NCAA MEN’S CHAMPIONS: A total of 15 Gamecocks have earned NCAA individual championships, with the first coming in 1948 when Norman “Scooter” Rucks won the 400-meter dash. South Carolina’s next championship was in 1974 when Don Brown, John Brown, Mike Sheley and Jim Schaper won the 4x800m relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships and helped USC earn a third-place finish. Terrence Trammell owns the most titles with six, five of which were individual and one as a member of the 1999 4x100m. Below is a list of Carolina’s champions:

• Don Brown – 1974 4x800m (I)
• John Brown – 1974 4x800m (I)
• Clint Crenshaw – 1999 4x100m (O)
• Jonathan Fortenberry – 2002 4x400m (O)
• Otis Harris – 2002 4x400m (O)
• James Law – 2002 4x400m (O)
• Otukile Lekote – 2001 and 2002 800m (O); 2002 800m (I); 2002 4x400m (O)
• Shah Mays – 1999 4x100m (O)
• Jamie Price – 1999 4x100m (O)
• Norman Rucks – 1948 400m (O)
• Jim Schaper – 1974 4x800m (I)
• Mike Sheley – 1974 4x800m (I)
• Brad Snyder – 1998 and 1999 Shot Put (I); 1998 shot put (O)
• Terrence Trammell – 1999 and 2000 60mH (I); 1999 and 2000 110mH (O); 2000 60m (I); 1999 4x100m (O)
• Ron Willis – 1994 35lb Weight (I)

NCAA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS: On the women’s side of Gamecock track and field, 16 current or former student-athletes have captured NCAA individual championships. Dawn Ellerbe was the program’s first in 1996 at the NCAA Indoor Championships when she took gold in the 20-pound weight throw. At the outdoor meet that same year, she was crowned champion in the hammer throw. She repeated the feat again in 1997 before Lisa Misipeka followed suit in 1998. Demetria Washington owns the school record for the most individual titles with six, and Mike Barber is second with five. A list of Carolina’s champions follows:

• Aleen Bailey – 2003 100m (O); 2003 200m (O); 2002 4x100m (O)
• Lisa Barber – 2000 4x400m (O)
• Miki Barber – 2000 200m (I); 2000 400m (O); 2001 4x400m (I); 2002 4x100m (O); 2000 4x400m (O)
• Tacita Bass – 2001 and 2002 4x400m (I); 2002 4x400m (O)
• Lashinda Demus – 2003 400m (I); 2002 400mH (O); 2002 4x400m (I and O)
• Dawn Ellerbe – 1996 and 1997 20lb Weight (I); 1996 and 1997 Hammer (O)
• Sheneka Griffin – 2001 4x400m (I)
• Lisa Misipeka – 1998 20lb Weight (I); 1998 Hammer (O)
• Amberly Nesbitt – 2006 100m (O)
• Tiffany Ross-Williams – 2005 4x400m (I); 2002 4x400m (O)
• Stephanie Smith – 2005 4x400m (I)
• Shalonda Solomon – 2006 200m (I and O); 2005 4x400m (I)
• Shevon Stoddart – 2002 and 2005 4x400m (I)
• Demetria Washington – 2001 400m (I); 2001 and 2002 4x400m (I); 2002 4x100m (O); 2000 and 2002 4x400m (O)
• Erica Whipple – 2002 4x100m (O)
• Ellakisha Williamson – 2000 4x400m (O)

ALL-AMERICA COUNT: A total of 51 Gamecock men have earned the distinction of All-America, collecting 142 certificates. Terrence Trammell received the most awards during his career with 13. For the women, who did not field a full team until 1993, 43 have received All-America praise a total of 225 times. Demetria Washington has the most with 21 citations, followed by Miki Barber with 20.