Gamecock Track and Field Hosts First Meet of Outdoor Season

COLUMBIA — The Gamecocks are at home on Friday and Saturday for the first outdoor home meet with the Weems Baskin Invitational. Carolina takes to the Sheila and Morris Cregger Track for the first time since April 17, 2021. The Gamecocks are set to have their full roster available for the first time in the outdoor season. 

Admission to the Sheila and Morris Cregger Track is free for all fans, but fans will be required to remain outside the team areas, oval and competition area at all times. Live results can be found at here. Fans can follow along with updates on Twitter @GamecockTrack. A full recap will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and GamecocksOnline.com.

Meet Schedule
The Weems Baskin Invitational is set to kick off at Noon on Friday with the women’s hammer throw. Running events are set to begin at 4 p.m. on Friday. Saturday’s action kicks off in the field and on the track at 10 a.m. with the men’s discus and the women’s 1,500 meters.

Last Time Out
The Gamecocks opened their outdoor season at the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Alabama, and collected five event wins. 

Makenzie Dunmore won the women’s 200 meters with a time of 23.24. Angel Frank also had a standout race, running a new 200-meter personal best with a time of 23.60.

Alysia Johnson won the women’s 400 meters. The All-American opened her season with a time of 53.63 to win the outdoor debut. Pearl Nagbe took third with a time of 54.99.

Destinee Rocker won the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.12. Rocker’s time was her best in the event as a Gamecock. She also improved upon her No. 8 time in school history in the event.

Both the men’s and women’s 4X400-meter relay teams also won last weekend.

Weather Report
FRIDAY
– Conditions: Mostly Sunny
– Temperature: High of 66°
– Chance of Precipitation: 4%

SATURDAY
– Conditions: Mostly Sunny
– Temperature: High of 66°
– Chance of Precipitation: 3%

Coach Frye on the Meet
On the advantages of having a home track meet
“The advantage is always not having to travel and getting a little rest. We’ve been on the road with three trips for the last three competitions and not a ton of turnaround time. It’s a little weary, but that’s how it is. At Auburn, we had people there for their first time out, so it isn’t as tough on them, but there are also kids who ran because they missed some of the indoor season. We’ve got kids that haven’t competed since the SEC Championships and they got a three-week training period and competed last week. This meet right here is about starting to get Regional qualifiers. We’ve got some good people in here and hopefully we get good weather. It’s a short schedule to get a Regional qualifier. We’ve got two more home meets and Florida Relays. The other chance would be SEC’s, but you might only have one round. So, really, you get five chances at Regional qualifiers.”

On Destinee Rocker’s performance last weekend and how the rest of the season sets up
“You know you’re chasing Regionals, but when you have a race like that, you know you’ve gotten it. So every time out now, you can go or it. It frees you up to let it rip. You don’t have to be careful. We’re excited to have that. It kind of takes the collar off the coach. It frees the training room, it frees Destinee. When you’re free, expectations can happen.”

On the men’s 4X100-meter relay team
“(I’m feeling) really good about them. It’s all about the stick. We’ve got the legs. Anthony Greenhow will come back this week and run that. It’s his first time since an injury at Clemson in February. Evan didn’t run last week and he will this week. Those guys will go second and third and that gives us a good middle. Then we’ll lead off with Brooks. He’s a 10.4 guy.”

Started On the Right Foot
The Gamecocks have one weekend under their belts and already own some of the best times and marks in the country this season.

Carolina athletes own 16 of the nation’s top 50 marks and times in their respective events. Of those 16 top-50 times and marks, five of them are top-10 performances.

Makenzie Dunmore’s season-opening victory in the 200 meters comes in at No. 3 in the country. Her time of 23.24 is the third-best in the country and ranks 10th in the Carolina track and field record books.

Destinee Rocker also opened her season with a victory in the 100-meter hurdles. She ran a time of 13.12, which was her best 100-meter hurdles performance as a Gamecock and improved on her No. 8 time in school history. After the first full weekend of outdoor competition, Rocker is ranked third in the country in the event.

Alysia Johnson won the 400 meters at the Tiger Track Classic. She ran a time of 53.63 for the win. She is currently ranked 10th in the country in the event.

Both of the Gamecock 4X400-meter relay teams are in the top 25 in the NCAA after the first outdoor meet of the season. The Gamecock women are ranked second with a time of 3:31.84 and the Carolin a men are No. 24 with a time of 3:12.75.

The Gamecocks look to put up more of the NCAA’s top times as well as Regional qualifiers on their home track this weekend.

Phenomenal Freshman
Carson Lenser was honored with weekly honors for his performance at the Tiger Track Classic last weekend, the SEC office announced today.

Lenser was named the Men’s Freshman of the Week for his effort in the pole vault on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama.

The true freshman cleared 5.11m/16-9.25 in the pole vault to take fourth place in his first ever collegiate outdoor meet.

The performance is tied for the 14th-best in the country this season and the third-best from a freshman in the young outdoor campaign.

During the indoor season, Lenser jumped 5.26m/17-3 at the South Carolina Invitational. That mark put him at No. 7 in school history in the indoor pole vault.

Lenser and the Gamecocks return to the track Friday and Saturday for the Weems Baskin Invitational at the Sheila and Morris Cregger Track.

Bringing It Back, Jack
The outdoor season sees the return of a handful of events exclusive to the outdoor season.

The 4X100-meter relay, 400-meter hurdles, 3,000-meter steeplechase, discus and javelin are exclusively outdoor events. 

The 60 meters moves to 100 meters outdoors and the Mile moves to 1,500 meters in the outdoor season. The 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters make up the duo of distance races compared to the 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters indoors. The hammer throw replaces the weight throw, but the event requires similar techniques. 

The distance medley relay is no longer an event at championship meets, but may pop up occasionally throughout the season at special relay-centric meets.

The Gamecocks historically benefit from the move to the outdoor season. Carolina’s history in the 4X100-meter relay and the 400-meter hurdles is prominent. The Gamecock women famously captured the Gamecocks’ first ever team NCAA title in 2002 during the outdoor track and field season.