March 18, 2016

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The South Carolina track and field team opened the outdoor season Thursday, competing at Coastal Carolina’s Alan Connie Shamrock Invite. The Gamecocks kicked off the multi-events, as well as the hammer throw.

Sarah Graham put herself in position to win the heptathlon after a strong first day of events. The senior finished no worse than fourth in all four events, and claimed a win in the high jump competition. She sits first overall heading into the second day of competition, with 3,252 points.

In the men’s multis, Simon Gyllensten and Bryce Simpson finished day one of the decathlon in sixth and ninth place, respectively. Gyllensten had his top finish come in the high jump, where he finished fourth with a clearance of 1.88 meters (6’2″). He is .481 points back of the leader with five events to go.

The one event for Carolina aside from the multis came in the men’s hammer throw. Clarence Gallop opened his spring season with a solid performance, finishing as the top college athlete in a field of 40 competitors. He hit his top mark of 211 feet, four inches on his fifth attempt of the day, coming just under a foot away from his personal best at Carolina.

UP NEXT

The meet will kick off in force Friday, with the conclusion of the heptathlon and decathlon leading into the first day of qualifiers on the track. There will also be finals in the javelin, pole vault, high jump, discus and long jump. Live results can be found at GamecocksOnline.com.