April 11, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – This weekend, South Carolina track and field travels to the Spec Towns National Team Invitational in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia. Friday competition is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. with the men’s and women’s triple jump. On Saturday, the women’s javelin and pole vault kick off a full day of action.

Joining the Gamecocks and host Georgia will be Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Rutgers and Troy. The men’s field includes No. 7 Auburn, No. 9 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Georgia. On the women’s side, ranked opponents include No. 17 Auburn and No. 18 Georgia.

Including this weekend’s meet, the Gamecocks have just two regular season competitions left before the Southeastern Conference Championships in Columbia, Mo., on May 9-12. South Carolina athletes are jockeying for position to be included in the NCAA East Region field (May 23-25, Greensboro, N.C.). The regional offers the chance to punch a ticket the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 5-8, Eugene, Ore.).

For the fourth-straight season, the country has been split into two regions – East and West – with the top 48 athletes (24 relays) in each region qualifying for the Preliminary Round. The top 12 finishers in an event at each regional preliminary will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Gamecocks in the East Top 60