LAST TIME OUT – BOB POLLOCK MEET JAN. 29-30

The Gamecocks traveled for the first time during the 2021 indoor season when they traveled to the Bob Pollock Meet in Clemson, S.C. Senior Destinee Rocker (60m hurdles) and sophomore William Spencer Jr. (400m) led the way on the opening day of competition with outstanding individual performances that put both of them inside the top 20 in the country in their respective events. Then on Saturday Carolina finished up the meet in style with a pair of top-five national times in the 4x400m relay. Led by a season-debut from Stephanie Davis on the women’s side and William Spencer Jr. and EJ Richardson on the men’s side the Gamecocks took home the collegiate victories in the 4x400m relay. 

“Our team did a great job adjusting to competing on the road,” South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “I would hate to be going to the conference meet and never have the change to get away from our home environment. It was a ton of fun this weekend, our women are running a bit better every week. Getting Stephanie [Davis] out for her first run of the season was a great step forward for her. We look forward to getting her out for another one next weekend back at home. Next week is going to be a great week to wind up everyone with just two more contests before the conference meet. It’ll be great to get back home and really get ready to roll.”   

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (click to expand)

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GAMECOCKS IN THE TOP 50

Last weekend the Gamecocks improved on a number of their top 50 national times and marks. A total of 10 men across seven events are ranked in the top 50 while the women have a total of nine student-athletes in six events among the nation’s top 50 in their respective events. Destinee Rocker’s 8.13 in the 60m hurdles and the men’s 4x400m relay are the highest ranked events across the two TFRRS national lists. 

A total of five Gamecock events improved their national top 50 marks at the Bob Pollock Meet with the men’s 4x400m relay reaching the highest ranking of them all at No. 5 with a time of 3:08.13. Along with Rocker and the men’s 4x400m relay it was William Spencer Jr. (400m), EJ Richardson (400m) and the women’s 4x400m relay all improved their top 50 national marks at the Bob Pollock Meet last weekend. 
 

GAMECOCK WOMEN RANKED 17TH IN LATEST TEAM RANKINGS

The USTFCCCA released the first team rankings of the 2021 indoor season with the Gamecocks entering at No. 17 on the women’s side. The SEC have eight men’s teams ranked inside the top 25, the most in the NCAA among any conference, while the SEC women’s teams have an NCAA-leading 11 teams in the top 25. 

SOUTH CAROLINA INVITATIONAL TO BE STREAMED

For the first time at the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex there will be a broadcasted track and field competition. The South Carolina Invitational will have a stream broadcasted on SEC Network +, starting on Saturday at 11 a.m. The broadcast can be viewed on the ESPN app on smart devices and also watched on desktop and laptops with a valid subscription. 

To watch the stream live on Saturday, click here. 

GAMECOCKS SHINE IN THE CLASSROOM

The University of South Carolina Athletics Department concluded the Fall 2020 semester with a departmental grade point average (GPA) of 3.299, it was announced today. It marks the department’s fifth-highest GPA in history and the 28th-consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above 3.0. Fourteen of 18 teams earned a GPA of 3.0 or better during the fall semester, including the women’s program at 3.389.

“Our student-athletes continue to amaze me,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “In normal times, being a student-athlete is challenging enough, balancing classes, practices, games, study hall, meetings and other activities. In this ‘new normal’ during the COVID pandemic, our student-athletes continue to achieve in the classroom and that is a credit to them and our wonderful Dodie Academic Staff.”

The South Carolina track and field team was honored to name 20 total student-athletes to the President’s List for earning a 4.0, 35 student-athletes to the Dean’s List (3.5) and 82 to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (3.0). 

MEET INFORMATION

During the 2021 season, no fans will be permitted at South Carolina Track and Field events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fans can follow the live results on Adkins Trak and check with GamecocksOnline.com for updated information on the meet. 

There are no unattached permitted to compete at the South Carolina Invitational, with an exception for any current student-athletes who are considered a redshirt. For more information on every home meet hosted by the Gamecocks, visit our Home Meet Information page here. Please check back later for final heat sheets. 

CAROLINA CHALLENGE JAN. 23

The Gamecocks hosted the Carolina Challenge, the second home meet of the 2021 indoor season, with six Power 5 teams visiting Columbia for the high-quality meet that ended up breaking 10 facility records. 

The Gamecocks saw four individuals either move up or improve their all-time program top-10 marks during the meet. Heather Stone’s 9:51.88 performance in the 3000m moved her the No. 6 on the list, breaking her previous indoor PR by about four seconds. Freshman Christian Lewis improved his PR by nearly six inches during the men’s long jump to finish in third, pushing his sixth-best leap in school history slightly up the all-time top-list. KD Young’s mark of 17.79m in the weight throw cemented her spot at No. 10 on the Gamecocks’ indoor list while Destinee Rocker’s second-place 60m hurdles time of 8.19 separated herself from teammate Caitlyn Little at the No. 6 spot in school history. 

Carolina’s women’s 400m squad proved why it is still one of the deepest groups in the country with a 4x400m relay time of 3:36.19, winning the event over the likes of Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn. Led off by returning All-American Knowledge Omovoh, the freshman group of Alysia Johnson, Rachel Glenn and Ashton Lindley combined to post the ninth-fastest time, at the time, in the country.  

GAMECOCK OPENER JAN. 16

The Gamecocks kicked off the 2021 campaign with an impressive outing at the Gamecock Opener. Carolina posted six different All-Time Top 10 program marks during the meet, with three of those performances coming among the jumps events.

“I am so proud of all of our jumpers today. We were all just so excited to be back in this building and competing today,” Assistant Head Coach Delethea Quarles said. “The things that stood out was [Jackson Marseille]’s performance in the high jump today, jumping over seven feet and then Rachel Glenn coming out and jumped just under six feet. They just did a phenomenal job today. All of our jumpers did a great job to execute today and were coachable and made adjustments that were needed to perform at a high level today.”

The Gamecocks also saw top-10 program performances from Destinee Rocker in the 60m hurdles (8.21), Alycia Springs in the Shot Put (16.01m) and KD Young in the Weight Throw (17.70m). 

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