April 24, 2010

Former Gamecocks Dominate In USA vs. The World

PHILADELPHIA – South Carolina junior sprinter Lakya Brookins added another Gamecock first to her list of accomplishments for the Garnet and Black as the Seneca High School graduate claimed her first Penn Relays championship Saturday. Brookins is the first Gamecock – man or woman – to win the 100-meter dash at the historic meet and comes a little over one year after she was the first Gamecock to win the 60-meter dash NCAA indoor title.

“Kya’s win in the 100m was big,” South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “It was a big win against a great group of people. For her to win like that was good, and for Breehana Jacobs to make the finals as a Pennsylvania native was good.”

Running in front of a Penn Relays record crowd of 54,310 at Franklin Field that watched Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt cruise to an 8.79 split as the anchor of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team less than an hour earlier, Brookins ran 11.37 to claim the title. Teammate Breehana Jacobs placed ninth in the championship final at 11.92.

The men’s 4x200m relay team claimed bronze in the Championship of America with a time of 1:22.21. The race run by Obakeng Ngwigwa, Antonio Sales, Quentin Moore and Andre Carter is the third fastest time in Carolina history and just six-tenths of a second behind the record set last year at the Penn Relays by Ngwigwa, Sales, Moore and Aaron Anderson. Moore, Ngwigwa, Aaron Anderson and Johnny Dutch also claimed bronze in the 4x400m Championship of America relay at a season best 3:06.45.

The quartet of Ngwigwa, Sales, Moore and Carter also competed in the 4x100m relay college final, placing second at 40.15. Dutch also competed individually and claimed fourth in the 110m hurdle Championship of America at 14.01 one day after claiming the 400m hurdle title.

Sophomore Marvin Reitze cleared a collegiate best 17’8 ½ (5.40m) to take second in the pole vault championship. The mark vaults him to second on the South Carolina all-time list and moves him to ninth in the NCAA this outdoor season.

Freshman Lincoln Carr claimed second in the triple jump with a top mark of 49’10 (15.19m). Aaron Searles took 10th at 45’7 ¾ (13.91m). In the throws pit, junior Michael Zajac took fourth in the hammer throw at 206-2 (62.84m). Sophomore Andrew Vaughan placed 24th in the javelin throw at 179-4 (54.68m).

The women’s 4x400m relay team placed seventh in the college final at 3:43.54. The race was run by Breehana Jacobs, Brandi Cross, Janica Austin and Tatianna Fisher. No 11/23 South Carolina has next week off before returning to the track May 8 at the UNC Elite Meet. The team will then travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for the SEC Outdoor Championships held May 13-16.