April 21, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina track & field team is back at Sheila & Morris Cregger Track on Saturday for the final regular-season home meet of 2017, the USC Open. Field events start at 9 a.m. ET and track events start one hour later. Admission is free as the Gamecocks honor approximately 30 seniors competing in their final home meet at Carolina.

The Gamecocks will welcome another large, well-rounded field to Cregger Track for a full day of action. Joining Carolina will be Alabama State, Albany State, Allen, Barton, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Bob Jones, Charleston Southern, Citadel, Claflin, Coker, College of Charleston, Columbia International, Emmanuel (Ga.), Florida A&M, Fort Valley State, Furman, Mars Hill, Morris, North Florida, Paine, Southern Connecticut State, USC Aiken, Southern Wesleyan, South Carolina State, Tennessee, USC Upstate, Voorhees and Wofford.

Fans planning to attend the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday should check out the fan info page before they head out to the track. Live results for every event are available here.

QUOTING HEAD COACH Curtis Frye

LAST WEEK — TITI SETS 200m RECORD AT GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL

Junior sprinter Ncincilili Titi made his 200m season debut at the Gamecock Invitational, held April 15 at Cregger Track, and blazed to the fastest time in school history. Titi stopped the clock in 20.14, 0.2 faster than Carolina’s previous record in the event and the fastest time in the NCAA season. It’s also the third-fastest time in the world this year.

Titi was one of six Gamecocks to win an individual event on Saturday, joining Josh Awotunde (shot put and discus), Nakita Gray (high jump), Kara Lyles (400mH), Yann Randrianasolo (long jump) and Armand Woodley (pole vault). Carolina also won both the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays.

Next to Titi’s heroics, Randrianasolo’s long jump was perhaps the most notable performance on April 15. His effort of 25-4 ¾ ranks fifth in Carolina history and 16th in the nation this season.

Overall, Carolina finished with 24 new personal records at the Gamecock Invitational.

GAMECOCKS RISE IN USTFCCCA NATIONAL POLLS

South Carolina continues to surge upwards in the latest edition of the USTFCCCA national polls. The Gamecock men are up seven spots this week to No. 17, their highest ranking since week 4 of the 2016 season. Carolina’s women check in at No. 22. Both teams have been ranked in every poll this outdoor season.

This week’s poll continues to use a composite of new personal bests achieved in 2017 and old collegiate PRs from the 2016 season. Carolina is utilizing four new marks achieved April 15 at the Gamecock Invitational, including the 20.14 by Ncincilili Titi in the 200m dash.

The first poll to use data only from the 2017 outdoor season will be released April 24. A complete listing of the marks used to determine this week’s poll can be found here.

GAMECOCKS HONORED WITH SEC WEEKLY ACCOLADES

Ncincilili Titi became the sixth Gamecock this season to win a weekly award from the SEC when the league named him Men’s Track Athlete of the Week on April 18. The honor came on the heels of Titi’s NCAA-leading 20.14 in the 200m at the Gamecock Invitational.

Titi joins Rougui Sow (Women’s Field Athlete of the Week – April 11), Josh Awotunde (Men’s Field Athlete of the Week – March 28), Darrell Singleton Jr. (Men’s Freshman of the Week — March 21), Eric Favors (Men’s Freshman of the Week — Feb. 21) and Taranisha Taylor (Women’s Track Athlete of the Week — Feb. 21) as Gamecocks honored by the SEC this season. Additionally, Favors and Alycia Springs were both named to the SEC Indoor All-Freshman Team in the shot put.

GAMECOCK INDIVIDUALS IN THE NCAA EAST REGION RANKINGS

South Carolina features 13 individuals and three relays in the NCAA East Region top-20 through four weeks of outdoor competition. The Gamecocks also have six marks in the national top-10.
• Rougui Sow’s long jump mark of 22-0 ¾ achieved at the Spec Towns Invitational not only leads the East Region, it is the top mark in the entire NCAA this season.
• Ncincilili Titi also set the current national watermark in the 200m, with his 20.14 from the Gamecock Invitational. He’s also ranks ninth regionally in the 100m at 10.21.
• Josh Awotunde is listed second in the region and third in the NCAA with a shot put effort of 64-10 ¾, set at the Weems Baskin Invitational.
• Tyler Brockington holds the third-best mark in the region in the 400mH, a time of 56.35 from the Florida Relays. That mark ranks sixth nationally.
• In the triple jump, Natasha Dicks is listed fourth in the East and seventh in the NCAA with a mark of 43-9.
• Nakita Gray has a top high jump mark of 5-11 ½, fourth regionally and eighth in the nation.
• Isaiah Moore holds a 110mH season best of 13.73, fifth-best in the region.
• Markus Leemet scored 7,382 points in his first decathlon of the season, a mark that ranks sixth regionally.
• Carolina’s 4x100m relay on the men’s side is ranked seventh in the region, at 39.42, thanks to the team of Darrell Singleton Jr., David Winters, DeVon Lewis and Titi. The quartet of Singleton, Winters, Titi and Ryan Bermudez is one spot back, at 39.43.
• Ben Bonhurst holds a shot put season-best of 61-7, eighth in the NCAA East Region.
• Yann Randrianasolo moved up to ninth in the region in the long jump with a mark of 25-4 ¾ at the Gamecock Invitational.
• Clarence Gallop is listed 13th in the East with a hammer throw season best of 219-1.
• David Winters finds himself ranks 13th in the region in the 100m (10.30) and 16th in the 200m (20.76).
• The women’s quartet of Sow, Brockington, Taranisha Taylor and Maiya Dendy is ranked 14th in the East, with a time of 44.48.
• Kara Lyles ran a PR of 58.90 at the Gamecock Invitational in the 400mH, which is ranked 18th in the region.

APRIL 7-8 — SOW POSTS WORLD’S BEST LONG JUMP MARK AT SPEC TOWNS INVITATIONAL

South Carolina was in Athens, Ga., for the Spec Towns Invitational April 7-8, with Rougui Sow making history to highlight the weekend at Georgia. Sow won the long jump competition with a mark of 6.72m (22-0 ¾), a new South Carolina program record and the top outdoor mark in the world this season. Sow is the first woman in the NCAA ranks to jump over 22 feet this season.

Sow’s victory was one of four achieved by the Gamecocks in Athens. Josh Awotunde won the shot put, Isaiah Moore grabbed the 110mH, and the women’s 4x100m relay team was victorious.

Overall, South Carolina recorded 17 podium finishes and set 20 new personal bests at Georgia. Carolina achieved five new PRs in the women’s 5000m alone, setting the tone for a great weekend.

Senior Markus Leemet competed in his first decathlon of the season last weekend, finishing fourth against a very strong field. Leemet set a PR in four of the 10 events and totaled 7,383 points.

MARCH 30 — APRIL 1 — BROCKINGTON STEALS THE SHOW AT FLORIDA RELAYS

South Carolina competed March 30 — April 1 at the Florida Relays. Senior Tyler Brockington was the star, winning the women’s 400mH with a time of 56.35 that goes down as a personal best, the third-fastest time in the nation this season and the fifth-best mark in Gamecock history. It’s the second consecutive week that Brockington has won her featured event.

Brockington was one of four Gamecocks to finish on the podium in Gainesville. Rougui Sow took second in the long jump invite with a mark of 20-9, and Natasha Dicks grabbed second in the triple jump at 43-9. The women’s shuttle hurdle relay squad added a third-place result.

Carolina also saw several student-athletes leave a mark on the Gamecock all-time record book, as seven different Gamecocks achieved a mark that ranks on the school’s top-10. Ben Bonhurst (shot put), Brockington (400mH), Clarence Gallop (hammer), Nakita Gray (high jump), Hailey Sweatman (pole vault), Ncincilili Titi (100m) and the men’s 4x200m relay team all posted new Carolina top-10 efforts in Gainesville.

MARCH 24-25 — GAMECOCKS OPEN CREGGER TRACK WITH WEEMS BASKIN INVITATIONAL

South Carolina began a new era of its storied track & field history March 24-25 with the Weems Baskin Invitational, the first meet ever on the brand-new Sheila & Morris Cregger Track. The Gamecocks welcomed over 1,100 student-athletes to Cregger Track and combined to win 13 different events at the historic meet.

On the first day of competition, Carolina walked away with five victories. Markus Leemet became the first event winner in the history of Cregger Track when he took the javelin B flight, and later in the day the senior won the B flight of the pole vault. Olivia Hassler (javelin), Rougui Sow (long jump) and the women’s 4x800m relay squad also earned victories to start the meet.

The Gamecocks grabbed eight more wins on the second day at Cregger Track. Alycia Springs led the way for the Gamecocks, winning both the shot put and the discus on the women’s side. Seniors Tyler Brockington (400mH) and Natasha Dicks (triple jump) also added victories in their first appearance at Cregger Track, as did junior Tye Williams (high jump), while both 4x100m relay teams and the women’s 4x400m squad also found the winner’s circle.

Cregger Track long promised to be one of the finest competition venues in track & field during its construction, and it lived up to that billing at the Weems Baskin. Two Gamecocks posted efforts that lead the NCAA after two weeks: Brockington’s 56.93 stands as the top 400mH time in the nation, and Josh Awotunde, who was the top collegiate finisher in the shot put, leads all collegiate throwers with a mark of 64-10 ¾.

The Gamecocks posted five new marks that rank on Carolina’s all-time outdoor top-10 list at the Weems Baskin Invitational. Sow (long jump), Springs (shot put), Clarence Gallop (hammer throw), Funlayo Oluwole and the 4x800m quartet of Maya Evans, Maddie Beaubien, Anna Kathryn Stoddard and Allie Mueller all achieved a new mark in the program top-10 at Cregger Track.

Overall, Gamecock student-athletes combined to set 33 new personal records at the Weems Baskin Invitational, the most of any meet so far this season.

MARCH 17-18 — GAMECOCKS WIN 10 EVENTS AT HURRICANE INVITATIONAL

South Carolina opened the outdoor season March 17-18 by dominating the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla. Clarence Gallop (hammer throw) and Simon Gyllensten (pole vault) were victorious on Friday, while Maddie Beaubien (800m), Ben Bonhurst (shot put), Precious Holmes (400m), Jussi Kanervo (800m), Isaiah Moore (110mH), Alycia Springs (shot put) and David Winters (100m) took individual events on Saturday. Also, the Gamecocks were victorious in the women’s 4x100m relay, with Makyla Stanley, Tyler Brockington, Taranisha Taylor and Maiya Dendy racing to the win.

Overall, the Gamecocks set 21 new collegiate personal bests at the meet. Bonhurst was perhaps the top performer, with his mark of 61-3 leading the NCAA East Region through one week and ranking fifth in Carolina shot put history.

EIGHT GAMECOCKS EARN ALL-AMERICA STATUS AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

South Carolina is coming off of a highly successful week at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships, held in College Station, Texas. Gamecocks Josh Awotunde (shot put), Natasha Dicks (triple jump), Rougui Sow (long jump) and Ncincilili Titi (200m) each finished as First Team All-Americans, while the women’s 4x400m relay team grabbed Second Team laurels.

Dicks finished third in the triple jump, her second consecutive podium finish at the NCAA indoor meet. The senior jumped 44-2 ½ on her second attempt, breaking her own school record from last season’s NCAA Championships.

Awotunde placed fifth in the shot put after spending much of the competition outside of the points. The junior stood in 11th place with one prelims throw left, but he moved into the finals with an effort of 63-0. On his last attempt, the Franklinville, N.J., product vaulted into fifth with a PR of 64-6, second-best in Carolina history.

Sow was also in 11th with one preliminary effort left, and she made the finals with a jump of 20-10. Three jumps later, the Le Havre, France, native moved up to sixth with a PR mark of 21-2 ½, third in school history.

In his fourth appearance at an NCAA championship event, Titi qualified for finals for the first time. His prelims run of 20.79 was sixth-best, and in the finals he finished eighth at 21.03.

Precious Holmes, Tyler Brockington, Aliyah Abrams and Briana Haith took ninth in the women’s 4x400m relay. The quartet turned in a season-best time of 3:32.14.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS

The Gamecocks return a slew of All-Americans from a very successful 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. On the women’s side, Tyler Brockington (400m Hurdles, 4x400m), Precious Holmes (4x400m), Aliyah Abrams (400m, 4x400m), Natasha Dicks (Triple Jump) and Shelby Freedman (Javelin) were honored at outdoor nationals last season. For the men, Jussi Kanervo (400m Hurdles) and Josh Awotunde (Shot Put) grabbed outdoor laurels a season ago.

THE COACH FRYE FILE

• The 2017 season is head coach Curtis Frye’s 21st season in charge of the Gamecock program.
• One of the most well-respected coaches in the country, Frye brought South Carolina its first team NCAA championship in any sport when his women’s team captured the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championship crown.
• In 2008, Frye was bestowed the Order of Ikkos Medallion, presented by the United States Olympic Committee.
• During his tenure, Frye has coached over 60 NCAA champions, 117 SEC champions, 15 Academic All-Americans and more than 460 NCAA All-Americans.
• Following the 2016 collegiate season, Frye served as an assistant coach for the United States national team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. With Frye as one of their leaders, Team USA earned 32 track & field medals in Rio, including 13 gold medals.
• Frye is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year with the honor coinciding with his three women’s outdoor conference championships in 1999, 2002 and 2005.

MEET THE COACHES

• Delethea Quarles is in her 20th year with the South Carolina program and her 27th year as a collegiate coach entering the 2017 season. Promoted to assistant head coach in 2005, her primary responsibilities include coaching the multi-event performers and jumps. Quarles has extensive international experience, none more impressive than her 2015 post as the head women’s coach for Team USA at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
• Kevin Brown enters the eighth year of his second stint with the Gamecocks in the 2017 season. His primary responsibility is working with the pole vaulters in addition to working with South Carolina’s well-respected relay teams and sprinters. Brown is also the program’s recruiting coordinator. In the summer of 2016, Brown served on the Team USA coaching staff at the NACAC U23 Championships in El Salvador.
• Mike Sergent enters his 20th season with the Gamecock track and field program in 2017. His primary responsibilities are coaching the throwers and coordinating the strength and conditioning program. Sergent has coached 28 All-Americans, 45 NCAA qualifiers, 14 SEC champions and five NCAA champions at South Carolina.
• A 30-year veteran of distance coaching, Andrew Allden serves as the assistant track coach for distance and cross country. Allden has extensive international experience; in 2004, he served as a men’s assistant coach for distance in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Hungary. He was the practice track director for distance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and spent the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons with the USOC as an endurance team coach.
• Hadrien Choukroun joined the full-time staff as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles for the 2016 season and enters his second full-time year in 2017. Choukroun has been with the program since 2013, and spent 2015 as a graduate assistant. In his time with the program, Carolina has crowned 24 All-Americans (13 men, 11 women) in the sprint and hurdle events.

HASTINGS’ GOLD HIGHLIGHTS CAROLINA’S IMPACT AT RIO OLYMPICS

Five members of the South Carolina track & field program represented the Gamecocks and their native countries at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Leading the charge was Natasha Hastings, who won her second Olympic gold medal as part of the 4x400m relay. Hastings ran the second leg of the 4×400 final, with the United States posting a time of 3:19.06 to narrowly defeat Jamaica’s 3:20.34. The Olympic medal was the 14th earned by a Gamecock in the program’s track & field history. Hastings nearly won an individual medal, finishing fourth in the 400m dash.

Head coach Curtis Frye served as an assistant coach for Team USA, helping the Americans earn 32 medals in Rio, including 13 gold medals. Three other Gamecocks competed in Rio: current student-athlete Aliyah Abrams (Guyana) placed 38th in the 400m dash, graduate assistant Jeannelle Scheper (Saint Lucia) finished 25th in the high jump and alumna Kierre Beckles (Barbados) came in 24th in the 100m hurdles.

GAMECOCKS TO HOST SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP

South Carolina is proud to host the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championship at the brand new Morris and Sheila Cregger Track. The event runs May 11-13, and tickets go on sale soon. In addition to hosting the meet, the Gamecocks will hold several alumni events throughout the week. Gamecock alumni wishing to participate should contact associate head coach Delethea Quarles at DQUARLES@mailbox.sc.edu or (803) 777-1617.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

Carolina competes in its final regular season meet of 2017 next week at the 123rd Penn Relays Carnival. The meet runs April 27-29 at famed Franklin Field in Philadelphia.