Gamecocks Wrap Up Tiger Track Classic

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina track and field team finished up its first outdoor event of the season at the Tiger Track Classic on Saturday in Auburn, Ala. The Gamecocks picked up five victories during the meet with All-Americans Filip Demsar and Aliyah Abrams highlighting the weekend. 

“I’m really happy we got going today with some good runs and performances,” South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye said. “Our team knows the urgency of the season because not every day is guaranteed. Having Filip [Demsar] get out and put up a solid time and Malik [Paul] putting up just a solid marks. Those are really great starts for them and then Aliyah [Abrams] in her open and also her split on the 4x400m team was just fantastic. I’m proud of the whole group and especially those marks.” 

Fresh off his indoor All-America honors Demsar got his outdoor season started with a bang. In his first 110m hurdles collegiate race Demsar won in a time of 13.77, a time that was good enough for 27th in the country back in 2019 in the same event. Demsar won the event with relative ease with the second place finisher, Kenney Broadnax, finishing in a time of 13.90. 

Abrams took full advantage in her first action back on the outdoor track for the Gamecocks, winning the 400m easily in a time of 52.01. The senior won the event by over a second and will once again be a factor this season nationally in the 400m. 

In the field it was Malik Paul who highlighted the weekend for Carolina. Paul earned the victory in the discus event with a toss of 56.63m (185-9), a new personal record for the senior. The mark also propelled Paul to ninth on the Gamecocks all-time top 10 outdoor list in the event, a list that he previously sat 10th on. 

Hailey Sweatman was victorious in the women’s pole vault for the Gamecocks on Saturday. The 2020 All-American cleared 4.15m (13-7 1/4), a season-best mark indoors or outdoors, to earn the first victory in her 2021 season. 

The men’s 4x400m relay was the final victory of the day for the Gamecocks, clocking a time of 3:09.32 in the first outdoor action of 2021. The team of Evan Miller, EJ Ricahrdson, Jackson Junkins and William Spencer Jr., easily won the event by over three seconds and got their outdoor season off to a solid start. 

On top of the five victories for Carolina the team also picked up a number of top three finishes at the Tiger Track Classic. The women’s 4x400m relay finished second in a time of 3:37.26 with the team of Angel Frank, Alysia Johnson, De’Andreah Young and Abrams. Rivaldo Leacock (400m hurdles), Junkins (400m) and Johnson (400m) all picked up runner-up finishes in their respective events during the meet with all three of them nearly matching lifetime bests. Knowledge Omovoh (100m), Spencer Jr. (400m), Alycia Springs (Shot Put), Jackson Marseille (High Jump) and Dillon McCarthy all finished third in their respective events with Omovoh impressing in the 100m with a time of 11.55 while Bailey Rogers finished fourth in the 200m in a time of 21.25 to kick off his first outdoor season with the Gamecocks. 

“It was great to open up at Auburn with all of these really good teams,” Frye said. “It was great to see our team not worry about the weather or the cold. For many it was the first time they competed since indoor SECs and to see them line up and compete was just great.”

South Carolina returns home next weekend for the Weems Baskin meet from March 26-27. The Gamecocks host a total of three outdoor meets during the 2021 season. For more information on those home meets, click here.

Subscribe to South Carolina on Stanza to get schedule updates directly in your calendars. Keep up with Carolina track and field on Twitter and Instagram (@GamecockTrack) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2021 season.