Carolina to Send Six Events to NCAA Indoor Championships
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina track and field team qualified six events for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships that takes place in Albuquerque, N.M. from March 13-14. The meet for the Gamecocks, which will be streamed live on ESPN3 starting on March 13 at 7:15, will begin with the 400m men’s semifinals on Friday at 6:10 p.m. The event will still go on, without fans.
NCAA QUALIFIERS (click to expand)
SPECIAL NOTE ON THE NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NCAA Indoor Championships, as of March 12, will be held without fans and will “limit the attendance to 1/3 of the venue capacity and based on the number of coaches, participants and necessary personnel.”
Statement from the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship committee pertaining to attendance: pic.twitter.com/1ezdJIFC2P
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) March 12, 2020
NCAA President Mark Emmert statement on limiting attendance at NCAA events: https://t.co/TIHHJjdse5 pic.twitter.com/8I1HdceDfN
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 11, 2020
For more information on how COVID-19 is impacting the Gamecocks, click here.
LAST TIME OUT – SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Stephanie Davis highlighted the Gamecocks time in College Station at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships. The junior returned to Columbia with a silver medal in the 400m after posting back-to-back personal records in the 400m, including a 52.15 to win her heat in the two-section final.
The Gamecocks had other outstanding performers, many coming in the field. Senior Malik Paul earned a fourth-place finish in the men’s weight throw while Eric Favors finished in fifth in the shot put. Jordan Fields and Hanifah Abdulqadir both scored in their respective events, Fields finishing in sixth in high jump while Abdulqadir wrapped up her indoor season with a seventh place finish in triple jump.
Both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams were able to score, with the men taking fourth and the women taking sixth. Both teams were able to set season-best times with the men’s team heading into indoor nationals with the seventh best time and the women have the 10th best time.
CAROLINA’S HISTORY AT INDOOR NCAAs
The South Carolina women own 11 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships, including seventh in 2019, and finishing as high as second place in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Nineteen different Gamecocks have combined to capture 15 NCAA indoor national titles, including five victories in the 4x400m relay. Demetria Washington leads the Gamecock program with three indoor NCAA crowns, winning the 400m dash in 2001 and the 4x400m relay in 2001 and 2002. Carolina’s most recent national title came in 2019 when the Gamecocks won the 4x400m relay with the team of Davis, Mills, Abrams and Jonathas.
On the men’s side, the Gamecocks have finished in the top-10 nine times at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Carolina’s best finish came in 1974, when the squad finished third, and in both 1999 and 2003 the Gamecocks finished fourth. South Carolina has won eight NCAA indoor titles, with Terrence Trammell earning the 60m hurdles crown in 1999 and both the 60m dash and 60m hurdles titles in 2000. Brad Snyder garnered the shot put national title in 1998 and 1999, and the most recent NCAA indoor victory came in 2002 when Otukile Lekote was the national 800m champion.
STEPHANIE DAVIS – JR – Gaithersburg, MD – 400 METERS
Davis is ranked 8th nationally in the women’s 400m with a mark of 52.15, which came at the SEC Indoor Championships where she finished in second place.
This will be Abrams’ second trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships and her fourth overall as a Gamecock. As a sophomore last season she helped bring an NCAA Championship to Columbia in the 4x400m relay, claiming the title for the Gamecocks in 3:30.76.
HAILEY SWEATMAN – SR – CHARLESTON, S.C. – POLE VAULT
After missing the entire 2019 indoor campaign last season, Sweatman proved why she is Carolina’s top pole vaulter this season returning to qualify for her first NCAA Indoor Championships. Sweatman broke the South Carolina school record to qualify with her mark of 4.35m (14-3 1/4) to enter the national meet with the 13th-best mark in the country this season.
Sweatman is coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships, and has appeared twice at the NCAA East Regionals in 2019 and 2018.
QUINCY HALL – SR – KANSAS CITY, MO. – 400 METERS
Hall enters the NCAA Championships ranked ninth nationally in the 400m with a mark of 45.99. That time was set on Feb. 22 at the USC Indoor Open, which was Hall’s home 400m debut at the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex.
A six-time CCCAA state champion at the junior college level, Hall will make his third NCAA Championships appearance this week. Hall, who was the SEC Champion in the 400m both indoors and outdoors last season, is also the returning 400m hurdles NCAA champion. In addition to his JuCo success, Hall’s trophy case also includes gold medals from the USATF and Pan American junior championships.
STEPHON TORRENCE – JR – BALTIMORE, MD. – 60M HURDLES
In his first season as a Gamecock, Torrence was able to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles. Torrence joined the Gamecocks after a pair of NJCAA championships in the 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles at Barton Community College.
Torrence’s time of 7.73, a lifetime best and ninth-best time in school history, was clocked at the South Carolina Invitational on Feb. 7, was good enough for the 14th-best time in the country heading into the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Men’s 4x400m Relay
The South Carolina quartet of Arinze Chance, EJ Richardson, Rivaldo Leacock and William Spencer Jr. enters the NCAA Championships ranked seventh in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:06.53, which came on Feb. 28 at the SEC Indoor Championships. The Gamecocks have won the men’s 4×4 at five separate meets this season and have shaved over five seconds off their time this season.
The Gamecocks own one men’s 4x400m national championship, which came in 2002 with James Law, Otukile Lekote, Otis Harris and Jonathon Fortenberry running 3:02.16 to win the outdoor title in Baton Rouge, La.
Carolina last sent a men’s mile relay to the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2019, when Chance, Quincy Hall, Otis Jones, Ty Jaye Robbins finished fifth.
Women’s 4x400m Relay
Carolina enters the NCAA Indoor Championships ranked 10th in the nation in the women’s mile relay with a time of 3:33.39. Davis, Aliyah Abrams, Pearl Nagbe and Knowledge Omovoh ran the time last week at the SEC Championships as they earned a sixth-place finish.
Curtis Frye’s program owns seven national titles in the women’s 4x400m relay, including indoor crowns in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2019 and outdoor titles in 2000 and 2002. Olympian Demetria Washington was part of four of those winning relays.
Abrams and Davis were part of the Carolina 4x400m relay that won the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championship along with recently turned professional, Wadeline Jonathas.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks indoor season concludes with the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Gamecocks are scheduled to participate at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational from March 19-21.
