Feb. 25, 2007
LEXINGTON, Ky. — South Carolina’s women’s track and field team placed fifth at the SEC Indoor Championships on Sunday at Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky., with 52 points. The men’s team took 10th with 23.5 points.
Natasha Hastings became the third Gamecock in school history to win the 400-meter dash title at the SEC indoor meet, posting a winning time of 51.38 that was over a full second ahead of the No. 2 finisher in the race. Her time also was a school record, bettering the 51.59 time put up by Lashinda Demus in 2004.
“I just feel blessed,” Hastings said. “I struggled my freshman and sophomore years with injuries, so to be given such an opportunity and continue such a legacy, it’s a blessing. It still hasn’t sunk in yet (that I broke the school record). It puts a lot more pressure on me, and now I have to focus on what’s next.”
Hastings anchored the 4x400m team to a second-place finish, marking the first time South Carolina lost the event in 2007. The Gamecocks did post their best time of the year, running 3:30.03, but LSU recorded the fastest time in the NCAA this year with a 3:29.86 clocking. Stephanie Smith led off for Carolina, Krystal Cantey ran the second leg and Brandi Cross the third.
Shalonda Solomon added eight points to the women’s total after finishing runner-up in the 200m to Kerron Stewart of Auburn. Solomon crossed the tape in 23.02 while Stewart nearly tied the collegiate record with a time of 22.46, just .03 seconds shy of Arkansas’ Veronica Campbell’s time at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
Precious Akins came away with third place in the shot put thanks a personal-record heave of 50-9 1/2. It also was a provisional NCAA mark for the senior and the best finish for a Gamecock in the event since 2003 when Nicole Kendrick took second.
Ronnetta Alexander and Chiquita Martin got the scoring started for the women’s team, placing fifth and seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 8.27 and 8.48. Solomon followed with five points in the 60m with a time of 7.36 to finish fourth.
The men’s first points of the day came from Tyler Trout, who placed seventh in the 35-pound weight with a PR throw of 61-2 1/4. Derek Pressley contributed four points thanks to his career-best fifth-place showing in the triple jump, leaping 49-2 1/4. Dan McKenzie tied for fifth in the pole vault by clearing 16-2 3/4 to give the Gamecocks a total of 9.5 points from the field events.
Keith Hinnant snagged a couple points for the men by running 47.14 in the finals of the 400 to finish in seventh. He led off the men’s 4x400m relay that finished with its best time of the year at 3:06.84, just .34 seconds from an automatic NCAA time. Thomas Hilliard, IV, was the second runner, Ray Miley ran third and Quentin Moore was the anchor for the third-place team.
Prior to the mile relay, the Gamecock men took seventh in the distance medley relay using the team of Sean Leyh, Jamil James, Jonathan Fortenberry and Johnny Baez. The quartet ran 10:02.98.
South Carolina will now prepare for the NCAA Last Chance Meets over Friday and Saturday. The Gamecocks will send some athletes to Ames, Iowa, and others to Blacksburg, Va.
FINAL MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS
1. Arkansas 126, 2. Tennessee 115.50, 3. Florida 93.50, 4. LSU 79.50, 5. Georgia 66, 6. Auburn 59, 7. Kentucky 40, 8. Alabama 33, 9. Mississippi 27, 10. South Carolina 23.50
FINAL WOMEN’S TEAM STANDINGS
1. Tennessee 120, 2. Georgia 103, 3. LSU 101, 4. Arkansas 83, 5. South Carolina 52, 6. Florida 42, 7. Kentucky 40, 8. Auburn 39.50, 9. Mississippi 36, 10. Alabama 21.50, 11. Vanderbilt 15, 12. Mississippi State 10
Men’s 400-Meter Dash (Finals)
7. Keith Hinnant 47.14
Men’s 800-Meter Run (Finals)
9. Johnny Baez 1:51.79
Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay (Finals)
3. Hinnant, Hilliard, Miley, Moore 3:06.84
Men’s Distance Medley Relay (Finals)
7. Leyh, James, Fortenberry, Baez 10:02.98
Men’s Pole Vault (Finals)
T5. Dan McKenzie 16-2 3/4
Men’s Triple Jump (Finals)
5. Derek Pressley 49-2 1/4, 16. Aaron Searles 42-4 3/4
Men’s 35-Pound Weight (Finals)
7. Tyler Trout 61-2 1/4, 10. Jason Cook 59-0 3/4, 15. Anthony Faulkner 54-11 1/4
Women’s 60-Meter Dash (Finals)
4. Shalonda Solomon 7.36
Women’s 200-Meter Dash (Finals)
2. Shalonda Solomon 23.02
Women’s 400-Meter Dash (Finals)
1. Natasha Hastings 51.38, 9. Stephanie Smith 55.21
Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles (Finals)
5. Ronnetta Alexander 8.27, 7. Chiquita Martin 8.48, 9. Brittney James 8.88
Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay (Finals)
2. Smith, Cantey, Cross, Hastings 3:30.03
Women’s Distance Medley Relay (Finals)
9. Chain, Martin, Bristol, Gale 12:01.50
Women’s Triple Jump (Finals)
16. Reanna Townsend 37-1 3/4
Women’s Shot Put (Finals)
3. Precious Akins 50-9 1/2
