Jan. 17, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. – South Carolina’s Jason Richardson has picked up this season where he left off last year as the senior began the 2009 season by running the nation’s first automatic qualifying time in the 60-meter hurdles early Saturday at the Kentucky Invitational. Richardson won the preliminary round with a 7.58 at the Nutter Field House in the second day of competition.

A six-time All-American, Richardson punched his ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held in College Station, Texas from March 13-14. The 7.58 was just five-hundredths away from his personal best of 7.53 (set at the NCAA Indoor Championships last season in Fayetteville, Ark.), and the senior has a chance to top that mark in the finals currently on schedule for a 2:15 p.m. (ET) start time.

South Carolina is currently still in competition today with a large contingent of Gamecocks still preparing to compete. The final event is scheduled to begin at 4:50 p.m. (ET). Check back at GamecocksOnline.com later in the day for a complete recap.