March 31, 2007
Columbia, SC – South Carolina strutted its own stuff as the host of the Weems Baskin Sprint Relays, winning 12 events and picking up 11 regional qualifying marks. Carolina’s Natasha Hastings set a meet record racing across the finish line at 50.55, lowering her own world leader set last week by a half a second (ran 51.02 at Arizona). The men’s side was highlighted by two hurdles wins by Thomas Hilliard.
Hilliard won the two hurdles events, running a 51.50 to win the 400m hurdles and then ran a regional qualifying time of 14.18 to win the 110m hurdles. Hastings’ time betters her own regional qualifying mark that also leads the collegiate ranks as well.
Passing the stick around the track cleanly and quickly, USC’s women bettered both of its regional qualifying times. SC’s women won the 4x100m relay with a time of 43.25 – the Gamecocks’ best mark this year. The women also won the 4x400m relay at 3:30.98 – topping their previous time from last weekend and taking over as the nation’s No. 1 4x400m relay.
The men’s 4x400m relay won its relay with a time of 3:07.20 – a regional qualifier and its first of the year after finishing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jamil James won with the 400m with a regional qualifying time of 46.93. Finishing as the runner-up Quentin Moore ran a 47.32. In the men’s 400m hurdles Jussi Heikkila ran a 52.37 to finish as the runner-up with a regional mark.
Krystal Cantey won the 400m hurdles at 57.74, bettering her own regional qualifying mark. Chicquita Martin ran a 59.38 to finish fourth in the same race. Martin has already regionally qualified in the 100m hurdles (13.35) and 400m hurdles (59.25).
In the field events, Precious Akins won the discus with a mark of 164′ 9 – bettering her own regional qualifying mark.
In other track events, Casey Gale won the 3200m at 11:05.36. Keith Hinnant won the men’s 800m with a time of 1:51.76. In the men’s 3000m steeplechase Daniel Williams crossed the finish line at 9:53.95 to win the race. Finally in the women’s 1500m, Kelsey Bristol won the race by more than three seconds at 4:52.11.
