Jan. 16, 2015
| GAMECOCK TRACK & FIELD | |||||
| Coach Allden | |||||
| Anna Todd | |||||
BLACKSBURG, Va. – After a promising weekend to begin the season, the Carolina track and field team will ratchet up the competition this weekend with the Virginia Tech Invitational. The two-day event, hosted by the Hokies, will run Jan. 16-17.
The Gamecocks opened the season strong at the Orange and Purple Classic last Saturday, winning 11 total events. On top of the individual wins, 14 others placed in the top three. Five others entered the top 10 in program history in their respective events: Nakita Gray, Leanne Morrison, Alexis Murphy, Anna Todd and Isaiah Moore.
After adjusting for the flat track at Clemson, Carolina found itself ranked among the best in the country. Tyler Brockington’s adjusted time of 24.05 comes in at number two in the country, as does her 4×400 relay team that also included Erika Rucker, Briana Haith and Aalayah Faulcon.
Overall, four women’s athletes rank in the top ten nationally at their position. Three men’s athletes are top ten performers, with Clayton Gravesande’s 47.47 time in the 400m coming in at number five.
Gravesande is one of four weekly captains named ahead of the weekend’s action. He and Eric Winfrey lead the men, while Brockington and Todd will serve as the women’s captains.
Winfrey is a two-time All-American in the 4x100m relay, and also has competed in five different individual events. The senior also owns top-10 all-time-best finishes in the 60m, 200m and 4×100 relay. Gravesande returned to the team after taking a redshirt for all of 2014, and did so to great effect, winning his 400m race and joined in the Gamecocks win in the 4x400m relay. When healthy, the three-time All-American is one of the best in the country in the 400.
Just a junior, Brockington is already a six-time All-American, winning five times as a freshman in the 2013 indoor and outdoor seasons. As a sprint and hurdle specialist, Brockington also owns a pair of top-10 times in program history. Todd’s already had a busy year after shining for the cross country team, serving as the top finisher in all six races that she competed in. Along with that, she had the fifth-fastest 6K time in program history and was a top-40 finisher in the NCAA Southeast Regional. She opened the track season with a bang, winning the 3000m with the tenth-fastest time in program history last Saturday.
