March 5, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina sprinter Nadonnia Rodrigues has been selected by a vote of the league coaches as the Southeastern Conference Freshman Runner of the year, the conference office announced Thursday. In addition, 12 Gamecocks earned All-SEC honors due to their performances at the SEC Indoor Championships.

Rodrigues (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a strong indoor campaign as the top 400m dash freshman in the nation. Her season best 53.41 run at the SEC Championships ranks eighth nationally in the event. Rodrigues, who once earned SEC Freshman of the Week this season, accounted for 16 of Carolina’s 57 points at the SEC Indoor Championships last weekend with a third place finish in the 400m and her participation in the SEC champion 4x400m relay team. Rodrigues ran the second leg of the relay that ran a nation-leading 3:33.50 to win the title.

Five Gamecocks earned first team All-SEC honors in senior hurdler Jason Richardson and the four members of the women’s 4x400m relay team. Richardson won the SEC title in the 60m hurdles at 7.72 to earn indoor first team honors for the first time. Brandi Cross, Rodrigues, Breehana Jacobs and Porche Byrd earned the honor as members of the SEC championship relay team that has the nation’s fastest time at 3:33.50.

Five Gamecock men earned second team honors in Aaron Anderson, Jason Cook, Johnny Dutch, Quentin Moore, Obakeng Ngwigwa and Michael Zajac. Cook finished as the runner up in the shot put and Zajac finished second in the weight throw. Anderson, Dutch, Moore and Ngwigwa were members of the 4x400m relay team that ran the nation’s second fastest time for a silver medal finish.

Rodrigues and freshman Marvin Reitze earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors for placing higher than any other freshman in their events. Rodrigues took third in the 400m dash and Reitze claimed third in the men’s pole vault.

The Gamecocks travel to College Station, Texas next weekend for the NCAA Indoor Championships held on the campus of Texas A&M University.