Indoor Meet #1 – Clemson Opener

CLEMSON, S.C. — The University of South Carolina track & field team got some early-season competition under its belt Saturday as the squad’s sprinters and hurdlers took part in the Clemson Opener. Carolina sent 16 student-athletes to Clemson, punctuating the fall training season with a rare December meet.

The Gamecocks dominated the day, winning seven of the nine competitions they entered. Six Carolina student-athletes set collegiate bests on Saturday.

Carolina brought home the victory in the 60m on both the men’s and the women’s side. For the men, Darrell Singleton Jr. came out strong, running a personal-best 6.73 in both the prelims and the final for a victory. The time puts Singleton just outside the Carolina top-10 in the event. Ronald Fuller finished fourth and Evan Miller sixth as both sprinters made the final in their Carolina debut.

The Gamecocks claimed the top two spots in the women’s 60m. Maiya Dendy was victorious, running 7.48 in the final. Makyla Stanley was right behind her, clocking a time of 7.49.

Stephanie Davis took the top spot in the women’s 200m. She stopped the clock in 24.11, with Amecia Pennamon finishing second.

2016 Olympian Aliyah Abrams started her season running the 300m. Abrams paced the field, claiming victory with a personal record in the event, 37.45.

The Gamecocks topped the podium twice in the 60m hurdles. Milan Parks claimed the women’s victory, opening her season with a time of 8.35 in the finals. Caitlyn Little finished second, in 8.40.

Perhaps the highlight of the day came in the men’s 60mH, as Isaiah Moore was back on the track. A 2017 first-team All-American, Moore donned the Gamecock jersey for the first time since the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships and ran 7.89 to win the final by nearly two-tenths of a second.

Last but not least, the Gamecock women claimed victory in the 4x400m relay by more than nine seconds. Abrams, Davis, Dendy and Pennamon posted a time of 3:44.26 to open the season.

“It’s always good to start with a win, and we had a lot of those today,” said Carolina head coach Curtis Frye. “We don’t usually open this early, but we decided to give our sprinters and hurdlers a taste of competition to reward them for a good fall training period.”

“On the men’s side, Isaiah competed for the first time in over a year, and he executed really well,” Frye added. “He started a little slow, but he took over midway through the race and really dominated. We also had a ton of our new sprinters debut today, and it was good to see them on the track. Darrell is a veteran, and he was really fast today, and both Evan and Ronald ran really well. To have three guys with those times in the 60m in December shows what kind of promise we have.”

“For the women, Aliyah ran great in both of her events, posting a really good time in the 300 and then running a 52 split on her mile relay leg,” Frye added. “We won all of the women’s sprint events, and I liked what I saw from Maiya, Makyla, Milan and Caitlyn as well.”

Though the full schedule has not yet been announced, the Gamecocks will be back in action in January to begin the indoor season in earnest.