May 16, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Declarations for the NCAA East Preliminary Track and Field Championships have been announced with South Carolina earning 20 entries into the meet. The event is scheduled to be held May 23-25 at the Irwin Beck Track inside of Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
The women’s team earned eight individual entries from eight athletes, in addition to both relays. On the men’s side, the Gamecocks declared entrants in eight individual events with six athletes in addition to the two relays. Junior Chris Royster (100 meters and 200 meters) and freshman Jermaine Collier (110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles) are each entered in two events.
Of the women’s individual bids, two are seniors, two are juniors, three are sophomores and one is a freshman. For the men, the Gamecocks are traveling three freshmen, two juniors and one senior for the individual events.
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 East Preliminary is being held in Greensboro, N.C., with the West Preliminary taking place in Austin, Texas. The top 12 finishers in each event at the regional rounds will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 5-8.
A full list of declared athletes can be found here.
South Carolina Men – NCAA East Preliminary Qualifiers
| Event | Athlete | Class | Mark | Reg. Rank | Nat. Rank |
| 100m | Chris Royster | Jr. | 10.32 | 14 | 30 |
| 100m | Kendall Kee | Fr. | 10.47 | 48 | 92 |
| 200m | Chris Royster | Jr. | 20.98 | 38 | 73 |
| 110m Hurdles | Dondre Echols | Fr. | 14.00 | 23 | 45 |
| 110m Hurdles | Jermaine Collier | Fr. | 14.06 | 34 | 60 |
| 400m Hurdles | Jermaine Collier | Fr. | 51.91 | 19 | 51 |
| 4x100m Relay | Royster, Winfrey Echols, Maxwell |
40.11 | 16 | 44 | |
| 4x400m Relay | Carter, Collier Gravesande, Maxwell |
3:08.37 | 16 | 51 | |
| Long Jump | Jarrod Hutchen | Sr. | 25’5″ 1/4 (7.75m) | 8 | 22 |
| Triple Jump | Dorian Johnson | Jr. | 50′ 3/4(15.26m) | 39 | 78 |
South Carolina Women – NCAA East Preliminary Qualifiers
| Event | Athlete | Class | Mark | Reg. Rank | Nat. Rank |
| 400m | Erika Rucker | So. | 52.76 | 9 | 26 |
| 10,000m | Kayla Lampe | So. | 34:26.99 | 24 | 49 |
| 100m Hurdles | Kierre Beckles | Sr. | 13.09 | 6 | 12 |
| 400m Hurdles | Tamera Harris | So. | 58.25 | 11 | 21 |
| 400m Hurdles | Tyler Brockington | Fr. | 58.52 | 20 | 34 |
| 4x100m Relay | Beckles, Rucker Bandy, Murphy |
45.01 | 12 | 53 | |
| 4x400m Relay | Green, Bandy, Rucker, Harris |
3:35.19 | 10 | 31 | |
| High Jump | Jeannelle Scheper | Jr. | 6’2″ (1.88m) | 1 | 2 |
| Pole Vault | Petra Olsen | Jr. | 13’6″ 1/4 (4.12m) | 8 | 20 |
| Shot Put | Breanna Radford | Sr. | 54’4″ (16.56m) | 8 | 22 |
