South Carolina Secures Perfect Score in Winthrop Invitational
Gait-Smith claims individual honors in collegiate debut
ROCK HILL, S.C. (Sept. 17, 2022) – Saturday proved to be another dominant performance for South Carolina Cross Country, claiming the second team victory in as many meets to open the season. Even more impressive was the manner in which the Gamecocks won, earning the perfect score of 15 to lay claim to the Winthrop Invitational 5K title for the second consecutive year.
Freshman runner Gaby Gait-Smith made her collegiate debut for the Gamecocks on Saturday, claiming the individual podium with a time of 18:37.2.
“I can’t argue with a perfect score and the individual win,” stated cross country coach Andrew Allden. “Very pleased with the team’s performance. The women went right to the front of the pack and never looked back. Excited to have Gait-Smith debut with the individual win today. Competition will continue to get tougher, but we will work to step up our game accordingly.”
The Gamecocks captured the top six spots and eight inside the Top 10. Following Gait-Smith (18:37.2), veteran runner Hope Dominique (18:40.7) and freshman Hayden Withers (18:45.3) capped off the top three in the individual standings. Dominique and Withers each posted their fastest times of the season in today’s meet. Ella Zeigler (19:02.3) and Anna Boyd (19:03.9) rounded out the scoring efforts for the Gamecocks, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Katerina Hendrix, Lily Weeks, and Emily Smith were the final three Gamecocks inside the Top 10. Hendrix (19:12.0) placed sixth overall, followed by Weeks (19:23.7) in eighth and Smith (19:51.4) in 10th.
The remaining six Gamecock runners finished 18th or better and five of the six set new personal records. Meanwhile, Savannah Bowers made her season debut and finished 17th overall with a time of 20:41.7.
UNC Asheville (64) was the next closest team to Carolina (15) in the team standings, followed by Gardner-Webb in third with 92 points.
The Gamecocks will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1 when South Carolina heads to Louisville, Ky. for the Live in Lou Classic hosted by Louisville.
Team Results
- South Carolina – 15 points
- UNC Asheville – 64 points
- Gardner-Webb – 92 points
Individual Gamecock Results
1. Gaby Gait-Smith – 18:37.2*
2. Hope Dominique – 18:40.7
3. Hayden Withers – 18:45.3*
4. Ella Zeigler – 19:02.3
5. Anna Boyd – 19:03.9
6. Katerina Hendrix – 19:12.0*
8. Lily Weeks – 19:23.7
10. Emily Smith – 19:51.4*
12. Ally Wilson – 20:03.4*
13. Brooke Donoghue – 20:08.2*
14. Molly Joseph – 20:11.1*
16. Emily Pierontoni – 20:31.2*
17. Savannah Bowers – 20:41.7
18. Sarah Neville – 20:45.1*
* – denotes collegiate 5K PR
