April 3, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – South Carolina track and field notched 12 regional qualifying marks in the first day of competition at the 65th-annual Pepsi Florida Relays held at James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track on the campus of the University of Florida.

In hurdles, All-American Johnny Dutch competed for the first time this outdoor season and responded with qualifying marks in both the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. Dutch, who placed fifth in the 400m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials, finished as runner-up Friday in the event at 49.79. In the 110m hurdles, Dutch ran a 13.95 for 15th place while freshman Booker Nunley improved his season best time to 13.91, placing 11th.

Johnathan Hancock improved his season best to place fourth in the 100m dash at 10.44. Two Gamecocks ran qualifying times in the 400m dash as Obakeng Ngwigwa and Quentin Moore finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Ngwigwa ran a 46.57 in his first 400m run of the year while Moore improved his season best time to 46.59.

For the women, two Gamecocks earned qualifying times in their first open runs of the outdoor season. Sophomores Gabrielle Glenn and Lakya Brookins, who won the NCAA title this year in the 60m dash at an NCAA meet record, earned the team’s first qualifying marks in the 100m dash with top 10 finishes. Brookins ran a personal best 11.52 to place fifth while Glenn came in 10th at 11.64.

Brandi Cross improved her season best time by nearly two seconds in placing fourth in the 400m at a qualifying time of 52.73. For the third consecutive week freshman Beatrice Biwott improved her school record time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as she finished sixth at 11:12.34, inching closer to her first provisional time.

Three women’s pole vaulters earned qualifying marks to round out the days action with junior Sallie Gurganus tying her career best mark of 13-01.50 (4.00m) to place third. The mark remains the second-best outdoor pole vault mark in program history. Freshman Allison Nicosia tied for eighth at her first provisional qualifying mark of 12-07.50 (3.85m), besting her collegiate best by more than a foot. Senior Liza Todd cleared the same mark and placed 11th to round out the Gamecock qualifiers.

South Carolina concludes the final day of the Pepsi Florida Relays tomorrow beginning with the men’s javelin at 11:30 a.m. The first running event of the day for the Gamecocks will be the women’s 4x100m relay at 3:10 p.m.