May 12, 2013

Complete Results

COLUMBIA, Mo. – South Carolina wrapped up the 2013 SEC Outdoor Championships at Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo., on Sunday. Senior Kierre Beckles earned silver in the 100-meter hurdles and freshman Jermaine Collier recorded top-five finishes in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles.

Beckles collected her second career SEC silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.11. Entering the race as the top qualifier after yesterday’s prelim time of 13.10, Beckles bested the two-time defending SEC champion Jasmin Stowers of LSU and 2012 Olympian Ivanique Kemp of Arkansas. Beckles ranks in the East top 10.

In a 400-meter dash field that featured the defending SEC Champion and an Olympian, sophomore Erika Rucker ran a 53.22 to finish in fourth place. The finish is the best since Brandi Cross’ silver medal in 2008 and the first score in the event for the Gamecocks since 2010. Rucker is currently ranked 20th in the East region with her season-best time of 52.76.

Making their SEC Outdoor Championship final debut, Collier and fellow freshman Dondre Echols scored for the Gamecocks in the 110-meter hurdle final. Collier took fifth with a time of 14.39. Echols was just behind in sixth at 14.52.

Collier was one of two athletes to race in both hurdle finals at this year’s championships. Entering the race with the second-fastest qualifying time after PR-ing in Friday’s prelims, the freshman will take a third-place finish home with a 52.04.

A tight 100-meter dash race came down to the wire, with less than .3 seconds separating the entire field. Junior Chris Royster clocked in at 10.32 to finish in seventh place to score in the event for the second consecutive year after last season’s sixth-place result. Royster’s wind-aided preliminary time of 10.17 ranks him in the East top 10.

The Gamecock youth was further represented in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in freshman Tyler Brockington and sophomore Tamera Harris. Harris lowered her personal best for the second time of the weekend with a 58.25, the fastest by a Gamecock this season. Harris entered the weekend with the 22nd-fastest time in the SEC and advanced to the final after lowering her PR by over two seconds.

Brockington was putting serious pressure on the leader on the final straight away, but clipped the next to last hurdle causing her to fall. The freshman finished the race to score for South Carolina. Brockington, the lone freshman in the finals, also lowered her personal best by over two seconds in the prelims.

Senior Breanna Radford duplicated last year’s fourth-place finish in the women’s shot put with her mark of 53′ 1″ ¾ (16.20). Radford is ranked in the East top 20 and will look to move on to the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

The women’s team earned points from both relay teams. The squad of freshmen Ahtyana Johnson, Tyler Brockington along with senior Melekia Simpson and Harris ran a 45.51 to finish in sixth place. In the final event of the day, sophomores Rucker and Christal Green joined senior Nadonnia Rodriques and Harris for the 4×400-meter relay. The Gamecocks earned a fifth-place finish with their time of 3:38.27.

The women improved on last year’s standing with their 41 points for an eighth-place finish. The men’s team scored 16 points to finish 13th.

The Gamecocks will take next weekend off in preparation for the NCAA East Preliminaries in Greensboro, N.C., May 23-25.