April 14, 2012

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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director

ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina posted six wins and season best marks across the board to conclude the final day of competition at the Spec Towns Invitational at the University of Georgia.

The men’s team earned its win from senior Marvin Reitze in the pole vault at 17’5 ½ (5.32m), his third win in five meets this outdoor season. The Gamecock women’s team earned wins from Kelsey McCorkle, Erika Rucker, Kayla Lampe and both relays.

McCorkle earned her first win of the season in the 200-meter dash at 23.83 as one of three Gamecocks to finish in the top six in the event. Rucker won the 400-meter dash in her second outdoor appearance in the event at 53.39, and Lampe won the 5,000-meter run at 17:30.36.

The 4×100-meter relay team of Amber Allen, Kelsey McCorkle, Christal Green and Vashti Bandy took the victory at a season best 45.68, and the 4×400-meter relay team of Allen, Rucker, Green and Nadonnia Rodriques took the win at 3:37.35.

Sophomore Emily Laurence was the first Gamecock to hit the track Saturday and set the tone with a huge personal best in the javelin throw at 143’8 (43.78m). Laurence placed third overall and improved her previous personal best by five feet with the throw.

Classmate Petra Olsen also hit a new outdoor PR Saturday by clearing 13’4 ¼ (4.07m) to place third in the pole vault. Her mark moves the Swedish national to third in the Gamecock record books and just two inches shy of the outdoor school record in the event. Freshman Megan Wall matched her personal best at 11’9 ¾ (3.60m) to place sixth, and Tylar Mangan hit a personal best mark of 11’1 ¾ (3.40m) to place seventh overall.

Lampe’s win in the 5,000-meter was the top side of a 1-2 Carolina finish in the event as Penny Boswell took second at 18:14.02. Lampe coasted to the victory despite losing close to 30 seconds with a miscommunication at the finish line with the freshman initially being stopped a lap early before continuing her final 400 meters. South Carolina also earned a 1-2 finish in the 400-meter dash with Rucker’s win followed by Nadonnia Rodriques at a season best 53.67.

Sophomore Chris Royster led the Gamecock men’s runners with a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash and third-place finish in the 200-meter dash. Royster ran 10.44 in the 100-meter before bouncing back to run a season best 20.91 in the 200-meter. Freshman Eric Winfrey also had top fives times in both events, taking fourth in the 100-meter at 10.63 and fifth in the 200-meter at a season best 21.37.

Sophomore Clayton Gravesande placed second in the men’s 400-meter dash at a season best time of 46.72, and Robert Razick took second in the 1,500-meter run at 3:55.78. Gravesande also played a hand in both relay events for the men. The 4×100-meter relay team of Gravesande, Royster, Winfrey and Andre Carter took second at 40.32, and the 4×400-meter relay team of Gravesande, Carter, Royster and Juan Stenner took third at 3:11.16.

The Gamecocks had second-place finishes in the men’s and women’s long jumps. Junior Jarrod Hutchen took second in the men’s long jump at 24’1 (7.34m). Junior Ceci Kryst had another strong day with a runner-up finish in the women’s long jump at 18’7 (5.66m) after hitting a PR in the triple jump in Friday night action.

The Gamecock women earned top five finishes in both hurdle events. Freshman Chalese Davis took third in the 100-meter hurdles at 13.83 while classmate Sarah Graham hit a season best time of 14.99 to place fourth in the event. In the 400-meter hurdles, Amber Allen placed fourth at 1:01.64, and Tamera Harris placed sixth at 1:02.58.

Freshman Juan Stenner placed fifth in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at a season best 51.76 and cracked the Gamecock all-time top 10 list in the process, becoming the first man to break into the list since soon-to-be NCAA Champion Johnny Dutch made his way onto the list as a freshman in 2008.

Senior Louis Day had the final top three performance for South Carolina at the Spec Towns Invitational after throwing a season best mark of 55’9 (16.99m) in the shot put to take third overall.

South Carolina is off next week before traveling to the 118th running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field the weekend of April 26-28.