May 10, 2013

Results

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A trio of hurdlers ignited the Gamecocks, advancing to Sunday finals on the second day of action at the 2013 SEC Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

Freshman Jermaine Collier, facing a stiff field in his 400-meter hurdle heat, got off to a strong start and held off Georgia’s Drew Branch coming down the stretch. Collier won his heat and turned in the second-fastest time overall. The freshman’s time of 51.91, is a new personal best for the Gamecock and is the sixth-best time in the SEC this season. The time also solidifies Collier’s position to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminaries as it would rank him 15th overall in the East region.

Just after Collier’s personal-best performance, fellow freshman Tyler Brockington and sophomore Tamera Harris continued the trend. Running in the second heat of the 400-meter hurdle preliminaries, Harris recorded a new all-time best of 58.56, shattering her old PR of 1:00.44. The Gamecock finished second in her heat and advanced to the final on time.

Brockington ran in the following heat and held the lead for much of the race. After being briefly overtaken in the final 100 meters, the freshman dug deep and reclaimed the lead to take the win with her new personal best of 58.52. The win advanced the Gamecock to the finals. The women’s times put them firmly in the East top-20 and also put them in solid position to advance to the NCAA East Preliminaries.

Collier’s final is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, with Brockington and Harris just after at 6:10 p.m. ET.

Sophomore Kayla Lampe finished 11th overall in the 10,000-meter run final with a time of 35:02.19

Tomorrow, the first busy day for the Gamecocks begins at 2 p.m. ET with the men’s javelin and long jump. Running events are slated to begin at 4:45 p.m. ET with the 1,500-meter run preliminaries. Junior high jumper Jeannelle Scheper attempts to sweep the SEC high jump championships at 5 p.m. ET.