March 13, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – The indoor track season came to a close Friday night at the NCAA track and field championships, with a pair of Gamecocks coming ever-so-close to earning a trip to the finals but ultimately coming short. Jussi Kanervo would place ninth in the 60-meter hurdles, and Ncincilili Titi also came in second in the 200-meter dash.

Kanervo finished second in his heat, and ultimately fell just seven one-thousandths of a second from making the finals after crossing in a time of 7.80. Juniors Dondre Echols and Jermaine Collier would come in 12th and 14th place, respectively, to close out the event. Omar McLeod of Arkansas ran the fastest qualifying time, with a mark of 7.55.

Titi’s time of 20.89 was his second-fastest time of the season, behind only a 20.87 performance at Arkansas just a few weeks prior. He would come .12 seconds off the finals qualifying time. Baylor’s Trayvon Bromell enters Saturday’s final with the top qualifying time with a run of 20.33.

“We had two guys who were the last one’s out in their events. It was everybody’s first time coming to the NCAA championships, and lots of times it takes two times to have the impact,” head coach Curtis Frye said after day one. “We gave it our best shot, we’re blessed to be one of the top teams in the country and be able to be here.”

With the indoor season officially closed for Carolina, the team will now prepare for a much-anticipated outdoor season. The first event will be at the Shamrock Invite in Myrtle Beach, coming next Friday.