Gamecocks Finish Day One of 2014 Florida Relays

April 4, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Facing a field of top collegiate and international talent, the Gamecocks earned 15 top-10 collegiate finishes on their first day of competition at the 2014 Florida Relays on the University of Florida campus.

Senior Petra Olsen turned in the top Gamecock performance of the day, taking third overall and second amongst collegians in the women’s pole vault. The school record holder cleared a height of 13’7 ¼”.

In the middle distances, sophomore Anna Todd posted the second-fastest 1,500-meter run time in South Carolina history. Her time of 4:26.51 is a personal record and just .15 seconds off of the best Gamecock time ever.

Riding the momentum of a stellar indoor campaign, Sarah Graham set yet another lifetime best. Today, the sophomore made her 2014 outdoor high jump debut, besting her previous high mark by two inches. The height of 5’7 ¾” (1.72m) is No. 4 on the South Carolina all-time top 10.

In the hurdles, freshman Jussi Kanervo and sophomore Jermaine Collier had a strong outing, posting top-10 collegiate finishes in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles. In the high hurdles, Kanervo posted the 12th-best time overall and fifth-best collegiate time at 13.93. Collier’s 14.04 also posted a top-10 collegiate time.

Hours later, the duo returned to the track for the 400-meter hurdles. This time Collier led the way, setting a new lifetime best by over a second. His time of 50.96 is the ninth best in school history and earned him an eighth-place finish. Kanervo finished just behind Collier in ninth, posting a new personal record of his own at 51.02, the 10th-best time in school history.

New to the long jump this season, sophomore Alexis Murphy made quick work of earning a spot in the South Carolina record books. Her personal best leap of 19’6 ¾” (5.96m) is the ninth-best in the Gamecock record book. The mark was good enough for sixth place.

In the throws, redshirt freshman Kaleb Zuidema took fifth in the men’s javelin with a heave of 211’5″ (64.43m). Junior Kaysee Sullivan recorded a throw of 156’1″ (47.58m) to take sixth in the women’s discus.

Facing a strong 100-meter dash field of 63 athletes that included multiple professionals, senior Chris Royster and sophomore Kendall Kee finished 15th and 17th, respectively. Royster ran a 10.36, the eighth-fastest collegiate time in the field, while Kee’s 10.40 was the ninth best.

Junior Tamera Harris and sophomore Tyler Brockington turned in season-best performances in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Harris ran a 58.58 to place 10th overall and seventh amongst collegians. Brockington clocked in at 58.68 to place just behind her teammate.

Junior Kayla Lampe closed the day’s events with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run. Her 16:55.06 shaved thousandths of a second of her personal best as the new third-best time in school history. Freshman Mary Reiser made her collegiate debut in the event, coming in 12th overall and 10th among collegians with a personal record of 17:08.95, giving her the fifth-best time in program history.

Tomorrow, the relays take center stage on the final day of the meet. The day opens with the shuttle hurdle relay at 12 p.m., and closes with the 4×400-meter relay at 6:40 p.m.