PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The University of South Carolina women’s team took center stage on Thursday as the Gamecocks opened their week at the 125th Penn Relays. Freshman Carisma Holland notched Carolina’s first victory of the weekend, while the women’s distance medley relay set a school record and two additional relay squads qualified for Championship of America finals.

Out of Carolina’s 14 Thursday entries, 13 came from the women’s team. The majority of the men’s competition begins Friday at Franklin Field.

One week after joining Carolina’s top-10 list in the women’s shot put, Holland raised the stakes again to win the Penn Relays college flight. The redshirt freshman’s third attempt measured 16.33m (53-6 ¾), the fourth-best attempt in Gamecock history and the 26th-best throw in the NCAA this season.

Holland’s throw was the second-best of the day across all divisions, topped only by Indiana’s Madison Pollard, who won the championship flight at 16.41m. She’s the first Gamecock to win a women’s shot put medal at Penn Relays since 1998, when Crystal Brownlee captured the championship division for the second-straight season.

South Carolina set a new school record in the women’s outdoor DMR, the program’s first record this season in a women’s event. Allie Mueller (3:32.07), Jhari Williams (56.97), Sierra Biber (2:15.33) and Maryah Nasir (4:54.86) ran 11:39.22 to break the previous best of 11:40.52, set in 1996. The Gamecocks took third in the college flight of the event.

In the field events, Carolina earned a pair of second-place college flight finishes. Amanda Murphy picked up silver in the women’s hammer throw, checking in at 56.41m (185-0), just .13 meters behind Michella Obijiaku of Towson. In the women’s long jump, Makyla Stanley grabbed second, with her best attempt measuring 5.80m (19-0 ½).

Carolina’s first relay event of the week was the women’s 4x100m, where the Gamecocks finished second in prelims. Stephanie Davis, Stanley, Amecia Pennamon and Wadeline Jonathas ran 45.14 to qualify for the Championship of America final, scheduled for Friday at 12:55 p.m. The Gamecocks are two-time 4×1 Penn Relays champions, taking the title in 2002 and 2005.

The NCAA championship-winning quartet of Davis, Aliyah Abrams, Tatyana Mills and Jonathas was on the track in the 4x400m prelims, and not surprisingly, they were the top qualifier for Saturday’s Championship of America final. The squad stopped the clock in 3:33.29, more than five seconds clear of the field. After taking Friday off, the Gamecocks will try to earn their seventh 4×4 wagon wheel Saturday at 2:13 p.m.

As is tradition at Penn Relays, Thursday ended with late-night distance events under the lights. Anna Kathryn Stoddard led the way on the women’s side; her 5000m time of 16:49.89 ranks fourth in Carolina history.

As the clock approached midnight, the Gamecocks finished the day with one more terrific run. Carson Strom posted a men’s 10000m time of 31:11.28, the seventh-best effort in Carolina history and 10 seconds better than his previous high watermark. The senior is the only Gamecock in the last 25 years to register a new 10K time on the program records list.

FROM THE COACH