May 15, 2011

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By Miquel Jacobs
Media Relations Assistant

Photo Gallery

ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina earned four medals on the final day of competition at the SEC Outdoor Championships as the women’s team finished seventh overall with 46 points and the men finished 11th overall with 22.50 points.

Junior Kierre Beckles again posted a new Barbados national record and earned silver medal honors in the 100-meter hurdles at a new personal best of 13.10. Beckles, a transfer from Central Arizona College running in her first SEC Outdoor Championship as a member of the Gamecocks, is the first Gamecock to take silver in the event since Olympian Tiffany Ross-Williams placed second in 2002.

Lakya Brookins ran a wind-aided 11.011 to claim silver medal honors in the 100-meter dash final, and classmate Gabrielle Glenn ran 11.41 to take eighth overall. It is the third consecutive year that Glenn has scored in the short sprint while Brookins – who has the fastest wind-legal time in the nation – now also claims the third-fastest wind-aided time in the nation to earn her first silver medal at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Marvin Reitze continued his strong resurgence from injury in claiming bronze medal honors in the pole vault at a season best height of 17’4 ½ (5.30m). Reitze, who missed the indoor season due to injury, has steadily improved his mark this season and cleared his top mark on the first attempt to claim bronze.

“It was real important for me to score today because our men’s team has struggled a little so it was important for the team overall,” Reitze said. “For myself, I’m really happy because it was a seasonal best. I’ve struggled with injury and trying to get back, so I’m happy overall to get 5.30 (meters). It’s getting better every week so I hope I can keep that and jump another season best at regionals to hopefully qualify for nationals.”

It was the best finish for Reitze at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The Germany native took fifth as a freshman in 2009 but no heighted last season after entering the meet with a strained hamstring. His finish gives the Gamecocks a medalist for the third consecutive year after Elliott Haynie took silver in 2009 and gold last season.

The men’s 4×100-meter relay team used a different lineup combination and responded with a bronze medal finish at a time of 39.49. Despite running in the first heat, the team of Chris Royster, Chris Maxwell, Clayton Gravesande and Antonio Sales blazed out to the third-fastest time of the day, tying Arkansas at 39.49 before claiming third with a time breakdown of 39.486.

The women’s 4×100-meter relay team of Lakya Brookins, Vashti Bandy, Gabrielle Glenn and Kelsey McCorkle placed fourth overall at 44.50. It was the first time using the lineup this season after senior Shayla Mahan pulled out due to straining her hamstring in the 100-meter prelims yesterday.

Junior Radiance Basden placed fourth in the women’s triple jump at 41’5 (12.62m), becoming the first triple jump scorer for Carolina since Kemesha Whitmire won the event in 2005.

David Wilkins tied for sixth in the men’s high jump with a top clearance of 7’0 ½ (2.15m). The mark ties Marcus Sutton (1993) for top high jump finish at the outdoor championships, surpassing the seventh-place mark that Wilkins jumped last year.

The men’s mile relay team of Clayton Gravesande, Andre Carter, Antonio Sales and Aaron Anderson took sixth overall at 3:09.67. The women’s mile relay of Sanura Eley-O’Reilly, Amber Allen, Radiance Basden and Vashti Bandy took ninth at 3:39.37.

For the first time since 1999, the women had two scorers in the shot put finals with juniors Stacee Roberts and Katie Vuckovich claiming seventh and eighth. Both had personal bests with Roberts tossing 50’2 ¾ (15.31m) and Vuckovich tossing 50’2 ½ (15.30m), moving the duo up to fifth and sixth on the Gamecock all-time list. Sophomore Breanna Radford claimed ninth at 49’1 ¾ (14.98m), missing her personal best by one centimeter.

Gabrielle Glenn and Kelsey McCorkle took seventh and eighth in the 200-meter final. Glenn placed seventh at 23.56 and McCorkle took eighth at 23.71 to score individually at the SEC’s for the first time in her career. It is the first time both have scored in the 200-meter at the outdoor championship.

Freshman Emily Laurence earned a point in her first SEC meet by placing eighth overall in the women’s javelin. Laurence’s throw of 136-6 (41.62m) was a personal best and ranks No. 2 in the Gamecock history books as she becomes the first Gamecock woman to score in the javelin throw since Katie Desin took third in 2004.

“We fought a good battle,” South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “This is a not forgiving conference. The attitudes were great. We had good performances in the women with Gabby scoring in the 100, 200 and 4×1, and Kelsey McCorkle scoring for the first time as an individual. Our shot putters did an outstanding job with two personal bests. Emily (Laurence) in her first year in the SEC and scored with a 10-foot personal best in the javelin, so we had good performances.”

Freshman Nejmi Burnside took eighth overall in the men’s 400-meter hurdle final at 55.60, earning a point for the men’s team. The Gamecocks have scored in the intermediate hurdles for seven straight years dating back to the 2005 season. In the women’s intermediate hurdles, freshman Amber Allen took eighth at 1:00.35.

Robert Razick competed in the men’s 1500-meter final and finished ninth overall at 3:54.38. Razick just missed out on scoring, falling .03 seconds behind the eighth place spot.

The triple jump duo of Lincoln Carr and Dorian Johnson placed ninth and 17th overall. Carr made the finals and jumped a best of 50’8 ¾ (15.46m) on his final attempt to take ninth overall. Johnson had a top jump of 48’7 ¼ (14.81m).

In the men’s discus, Michael Zajac finished 10th overall at 162’8 (49.58m) and was followed by Louis Day in 12th (155’10) and Andrew Finley in 14th (140’9).

Beatrice Biwott placed 19th in the women’s 5000-meter run and was followed by Ashley Evens and Penny Boswell. Biwott ran 17:26.38, Evens ran 18:11.19 and Boswell ran 18:38.37.

“A good thing is in the men’s 4×100 (relay), we had two freshmen and one sophomore running,” Frye said. “We have a lot coming back on our men’s side. Our pole vaulter is coming back, our triple jumpers are coming back and our shot putters are coming back. Our quarter miler is a freshman, and Chris Maxwell is coming back after a great sophomore season. I’m proud of them.”

Bids for the NCAA Preliminary Round will be announced Monday. The East Preliminary will be held at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.