South Carolina Qualifies for Three Finals Thursday at NCAA Championships
Abrams, Jonathas advance to 400m final, lead mile relay to championship berth
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of South Carolina’s 400m excellence was on display Thursday night as the women’s team took center stage at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Aliyah Abrams and Wadeline Jonathas each won individual 400m semifinal races, then the duo teamed up to help Carolina’s 4x400m relay advance to the national final.
Abrams entered the opening 400m semifinal with the heat’s fourth-best seed time, but that was no deterrent for the All-American. She won her flight with a time of 51.51, a new personal best and the eighth-best time in South Carolina history. It was also the fastest qualifying time out of all three heats on Thursday night.
ICMYI, here’s Aliyah Abrams running 51.51 to qualify for Saturday’s 400m Final.
— Gamecock Track & XC (@GamecockTrack) June 7, 2019
Just minutes after Abrams punched her ticket to the final, Jonathas was in action in the second 400m semifinal. The Gonaives, Haiti, native easily won her heat, coasting down the stretch to post a time of 51.63. That was the evening’s fifth-best time overall. Both Abrams and Jonathas will run the national final on Saturday at 7:32 p.m. ET.
In the final event of the evening, the Gamecocks won their 4x400m relay semifinal to earn another automatic qualifying spot. Stephanie Davis, Abrams, Tatyana Mills and Jonathas posted a time of 3:31.97, with Jonathas passing athletes from Tennessee, Baylor and Texas on the final leg. After winning the indoor 4×4 NCAA title in March, the Gamecocks run for the outdoor crown Saturday at 8:51 p.m. ET.
The Carolina women were in action on Thursday, but three members of the Carolina men’s squad finished their NCAA Championships runs on Wednesday. Yann Randrianasolo set a new PR at 8.12m and finished third in the long jump, Otis Jones grabbed second-team All-America laurels by finishing 15th in the 800m, and Eric Favors placed 18th in the shot put.
After two days of action at Mike A. Myers Stadium, the Carolina men’s team is tied for 18th place, with six points. The Gamecock women have yet to officially register a point, though only three of 21 events are complete.
FROM THE COACH
“Aliyah had a great run, winning that heat. Being the number-one seed, she’ll be in the number-five lane on Saturday. Wadeline will be in (lane) four. That’s good, to be in the middle of the track. They ran for those lanes, and it gets them in good position Saturday to see if we have a chance at winning an open race.”
“That (4×4 heat) was a tough one. Winning your heat here is tough. Everybody here is good. Thank goodness, we were the number-one seed coming in. Running that 3:27 early in the year put us in a position where we didn’t have as tough of a run as we would have in another heat. The team managed; they understand what they have to do. We’re looking forward to seeing them give chase on Saturday to see if we can defend our indoor title.”- Head Coach Curtis Frye
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecock men take center stage again on Friday as Carolina competes in three national championship finals. Isaiah Moore runs the 110m hurdles at 9:12 p.m. ET, Quincy Hall is the top seed in the 400m hurdles at 9:57 p.m. ET, and the 4x400m relay caps the men’s competition at 10:51 p.m. ET. ESPN has live television coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
| THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 • 2019 NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS • WOMEN’S RESULTS | ||
| 400m Semifinals | ||
| 1. Aliyah Abrams | 51.51Q | |
| 5. Wadeline Jonathas | 51.63Q | |
| 4x400m Semifinals | ||
| 5. Davis, Abrams, Mills, Jonathas | 3:31.97Q | |
