Track & Field Returns to Action in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (April 13, 2023) – After a two-week break, South Carolina Track & Field is back in action this weekend in Gainesville, Fla., competing in the Tom Jones Memorial. The Tom Jones Memorial will begin on Friday, April 14 and will conclude on Saturday, April 15. The Gamecocks last competed at the Florida Relays on April 1 before their home meet on April 8 was cancelled due to weather conditions.
Follow the Meet
Live results for the Tom Jones Memorial can be found by clicking the following link. The event will also be streamed on the SEC Network+ on both days. Friday’s stream can be found here and will begin at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, Saturday’s stream will begin at 1:30 p.m. and can be found by clicking here. Fans can also follow along with updates on Twitter by following @GamecockTrack.
Meet Information
The Tom Jones Memorial is an invite only meet and will consist of 39 teams. The event will be a two-day meet held at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium. There will be 11 Top 25 men’s programs and 11 Top 25 women’s teams. On the men’s side, Texas (No. 1), Florida (No. 3) and LSU (No. 5) highlight the field. Meanwhile on the women’s side, LSU is the highest ranked team in the field at No. 2, followed by Florida (No. 3) and Texas (No. 6). The opening event on Friday will be the men’s hammer throw at 1 p.m., with the first track event coming at 5 p.m. in the women’s 200m. Saturday’s festivities will begin with field events at 9 a.m. and track events at noon.
Coaches Corner
Returning to action in Gainesville:
“We were unable to compete last weekend due to the amount of rain and the conditions that we were dealt. I know our student-athletes are ready to get back out there and improve on their season marks with time winding down before regionals next month. We competed well in Florida two weeks ago and I expect the same this weekend. The Tom Jones Memorial features a loaded field with some of the best teams in the country, ones that we will be competing against at SECs, Regionals, and Nationals. I am excited to see how we stack up this weekend and I know we will be up for the challenge.”
How they Line Up
With three meets remaining before the best track meet in the country (SEC Outdoor Championships), the Gamecocks have 24 results ranked inside the Top 48 in the East Regional rankings.
On the men’s side, Evan Miller and Dylan Targgart are leading the way as both are positioned second overall in the region in their respective events. Miller ranks second in the 400m (45.60), while also sitting seventh overall in the 200m (20.48). Targgart threw a career best 19.80m in the shot put last time the Gamecocks were in Florida, ranking second in the men’s shot put. Filip Demsar is the final Gamecock ranked inside the Top 10, sitting seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.57.
The women’s team, there are two marks ranked inside the Top 10 in the region. Silan Ayyildiz sits seventh in the 1500m after running 4:14.13 at the Florida Relays. The Gamecocks’ 4x100m relay squad of Aalliyah Francis, Jayla Jamison, Alysia Johnson and Anastasia Sumpter are ranked 10th with a time of 44.17 at the Weems Baskin Relays. The 4x400m relay team is just outside the Top 10, ranking 11th overall with a time of 3:34.81, set at the Florida Relays.
