March 1, 2014

Complete Results

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A pair of silver medals from senior high jumper Jeannelle Scheper`s in the women’s high jump and the women’s 4×400-meter relay highlighted the South Carolina action on the final day of the 2014 SEC Indoor Championships at Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Stadium on Saturday. The Gamecocks have now won the 4×400-meter relay silver medal two-consecutive seasons.

Scheper entered the competition after passing at the first height and sailed through the early stages of the day with four-straight first-attempt clearances. With just three competitors remaining and the bar raised to 6’2″ ¾ (1.90m), Scheper had some difficulty. Ultimately, the defending champion cleared the height that matched her NCAA-leading mark and set a new meet record, but she needed all three attempts to do so. Georgia’s Leontia Kallenou, who entered the weekend just behind Scheper in the NCAA rankings, cleared on her first opportunity, which would prove to be the difference in the final result.

Just Scheper and Kallenou remained for the next bar at 6’4″ (1.93m). A clearance would have been a new school and personal record as well as new national record in Scheper’s native St. Lucia. The NCAA’s top two jumpers were unable to clear in their three chances and due to her misses at the previous height, Scheper received the silver medal.

The pair is set to duel again in two weeks at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

South Carolina sophomore Sarah Graham also scored in the women’s high jump, clearing 5’8″ (1.73m). Graham also finished sixth in the pentathlon on Thursday and is poised for her first NCAA Championship berth in the event.

In the final race of the day, the women’s 4×400-meter relay team of freshmen Precious Holmes, Briana Haith and Marisa Bellamy along with junior Tamera Harris captured silver as well. Holmes gave the Gamecocks a cushion on the first leg with a 53.26 split and the quartet ran away from the field in their heat. Initially, the Gamecocks looked to have won the bronze, but after a lengthy protest period, South Carolina was awarded the silver.

The 60-meter hurdle finals, the day’s first event, featured three Gamecocks in sophomores Jermaine Collier and Dondre Echols and freshman Jussi Kanervo. It was the first SEC Indoor Championship final for each member of the trio. Collier posted the best finish for South Carolina, running a near personal best at 7.82 for fourth. Kanervo’s lifetime best 7.83 earned him a fifth-place finish and Echols crossed in 8.01 for eighth.

The finishes gave the Gamecocks 10 points in the team standings.

The men’s 4×400-meter relay ran a season’s best time of 3:09.13 with the team of junior Eric Winfrey, sophomore Jermaine Collier, junior Chris Walker and senior Chris Royster came from behind in their heat to finish second and sixth overall.

Junior Kendall Kee ran a lifetime best 6.65, the fourth fastest in school history, in the 60-meter dash prelims yesterday to earn a spot in today’s finals. Kee got a strong start out of the blocks, but pulled up 30 meters into the race. He crossed the finish line to score a point for South Carolina.

Both the men and women finished 12th in the team standings. The men tallied 14 points with the women amassing 21.50. The men’s and women’s crowns went to Arkansas and Florida, respectively.

Gamecocks that reach a top-16 spot on the NCAA qualifying list will travel to Albuquerque, N.M, on Mar. 14-15 for the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships.