Feb. 21, 2018
2018 SEC Indoor T&F Scholar-Athletes of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of South Carolina senior sprinter Ncincilili Titi has been named the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday. Titi shares the honor with Georgia senior Keturah Orji, this season’s Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A native of Butterworth, South Africa, Titi has left an indelible mark on the South Carolina track & field record books during his Gamecock career. The sprinter is a six-time NCAA All-American, which ranks ninth in Carolina history, and he earned indoor first-team All-America status last season in the 200m dash.
“Titi deserves a round of applause; he is everything that student-athletes in our program should aspire to be,” Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “He’s a bright young man with aspirations to run at the Olympics and the World Championships. I’m pleased that we have many students that have won Scholar-Athlete of the Year. We have former All-Americans and national champions that went on to be doctors, and Titi fits in that legacy. I am proud of him.”
Titi’s senior season is shaping up to be the best of his career so far. He ranks second in the NCAA and tops in the SEC with a 200m time of 20.45, set Jan. 20 at the Clemson Invitational. At the time, Titi’s effort was the fastest in the world this indoor season. It still ranks third on the 2018 world leaderboard and second all-time on the African leaderboard.
The senior also shines in the classroom, where he is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and a member of the 2017 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. A public health major, Titi currently holds a cumulative GPA of 3.400.
Titi is the fourth Gamecock to be honored as SEC Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the first to achieve the award since 2015, when NCAA high jump champion Jeannelle Scheper was honored on the women’s side. Future Olympic gold medalist Natasha Hastings won the award in 2007, and four-time All-American pole-vaulter Marvin Reitze was honored in 2012.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
Titi and the Gamecocks start the quest for postseason glory this weekend at the SEC Indoor Championships. The meet runs Saturday and Sunday at Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.
