Gamecocks Release 2018 Track & Field Schedule
Dec. 19, 2017
2018 Track & Field Schedule
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina track & field program is proud to announce its 2018 schedule. Head coach Curtis Frye and the Gamecocks will once again take part in an ambitious 20-stop schedule, which includes competitions in 12 states.
“We’re excited to once again have a challenging schedule that spans the nation and will test out student-athletes every single week,” Frye said. “Traveling across the entire United States, as we do every year, enhances the student experience and prepares our athletes for the opportunities they receive after college. We’re looking forward to competing in many of our traditional stops but also ready to tackle some new challenges at Navy, Liberty, UCF, Tennessee and elsewhere. As always, the goal is to qualify as many athletes as possible for the NCAA Championships, and this schedule will have us as prepared as possible to achieve that goal.”
Gamecock fans will have three chances to catch Frye’s squad at Sheila & Morris Cregger Track. Carolina will host the annual Weems Baskin Invitational March 23-24, with additional one-day home events scheduled for April 7 and April 21.
The campaign begins indoors on Jan. 13, when the Gamecocks take part in the Navy Winter Invitational in Annapolis, Md. Carolina will once again head to the Big Apple to take part in the newly-rechristened Columbia Challenge, Jan. 26-27 at The Armory in New York City, and it will face many of the top collegiate squads in the nation at the Tyson Invitational, to be held Feb. 9-10 in Fayetteville, Ark. Additional regular-season indoor meets are booked for Clemson (Jan. 19-20 and Feb. 9-10), Liberty (Feb. 2-3) and Wake Forest (Feb. 16-17).
The indoor season culminates in College Station, Texas, where Carolina’s finest will compete Feb. 24-25 at the SEC Indoor Championships and March 9-10 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Carolina women are in search of a third-straight season with a top-25 finish after they placed 25th at the national indoor meet last season.
The outdoor season begins March 16-17, when the Gamecocks compete at the Black and Gold Challenge, hosted by UCF. After a weekend in Orlando, Carolina opens the home schedule March 23-24 with the annual Weems Baskin Invitational.
A pair of usual stops for the Gamecocks dot the schedule March 29-31, when Carolina heads to the Florida Relays, and April 7-8, the Bulldog Multis. Carolina is back home April 7 and 21; in between, the Gamecocks head to Knoxville, Tenn., for their first appearance at the Tennessee Relays since 2006.
The championship portion of the 2018 season once again begins with the world-renowned Penn Relays, April 26-28 in Philadelphia. After a week off, it’s back to Knoxville May 11-13 for the SEC Outdoor Championships.
This season’s NCAA East Regional will be held May 24-26 in Tampa, Fla., with USF serving as host. Those that advance will make the annual pilgrimage to Eugene, Ore., for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which run June 6-9.
Carolina returns a host of All-Americans from its highly-successful 2017 season. On the women’s side, double All-American long jumper Rougui Sow is looking to make national waves this season, as are 2017 indoor All-Americans Aliyah Abrams, Briana Haith and Precious Holmes and outdoor honorees Maiya Dendy and Milan Parks.
For the men, sprint superstar Ncincilili Titi is back for one more season after collecting three All-America awards in 2017. Josh Awotunde (indoor shot put), Isaiah Moore (outdoor 110mH) and Tye Williams (outdoor high jump) join a group of senior All-Americans looking to put the Gamecocks at the front of the national pack in their final season of competition.
