Track and Field . February 25, 2024

Gamecocks Secure Six Medals in Final Day of SEC Indoor Championship

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Feb. 24, 2024) – Saturday proved to be a strong closing day for Gamecock Track & Field in the 2024 SEC Indoor Championship, combining for six medal finishes and scoring a combined 60.5 points. Overall, the Gamecock men finished fourth with 42.5 points, the first Top-10 since 2019 and the best overall team finish since 2010. The women finished 11th overall and captured 30 points, the most points for the Gamecocks at the Indoor SEC Championship since 2013.

The women scored in all four events on Saturday, including a pair of gold medal performances. Freshman phenom JaMeesia Ford displayed the dominance of a veteran runner, winning the 200m gold with a time of 22.36 to tie the Randal Tyson Track Center facility record. Ford’s gold-medal performance in the 200m resulted in 10 points for Carolina and was the first ever 200m Indoor SEC title for the Gamecock women.

Ford was then the anchor leg for the fastest Gamecock indoor 4x400m relay team in program history to close out the event. Zaya Akins opened the relay with a 52.93 400m leg, followed by a 51.89 split from veteran runner Jahnile Registre. The third leg was Columbia product Jayla Jamison who clocked 51.44 for the fastest third leg among the four teams in the final heat. Jamison handed the baton off to Ford who brought home the gold medal for Carolina after running the fastest split in the entire event with a time of 49.80. The relay squad put together a time of 3:26.05 for the new program record and the first SEC Indoor gold medal for the Gamecocks since 2009.

Judy Kosgei was responsible for the remaining points for the women, finishing third in the 800m and then fifth in the 3,000 meter. The Kenya product secured six points in the 800m after running a program time of 2:02.87, securing bronze and becoming the Gamecocks first indoor 800m scorer since 2006. Later in the meet, Kosgei then stepped on the track and nearly broke the program record in the 3K, clocking a personal best 9:10.76 to snatch four more points for the Garnet & Black.

Ford doubled down with First Team All-SEC honors for her pair of gold medals. Meanwhile, Akins, Registre and Jamison secured First Team All-SEC honors with their finish in the 4x400m relay. Kosgei secured Second Team All-SEC honors for finishing third in the 800m race.

On the men’s side, the Gamecocks came away with a pair of silver medals, while also taking home one bronze medal. Channing Ferguson was the first to medal on the day for South Carolina, finishing in a six-way tie for third in the men’s high jump after clearing 2.11m (6-11). Following Ferguson’s bronze-medal finish, Anass Essayi took home silver in the men’s mile after running 4:00.76. This was the third consecutive season that Essayi has scored in the mile, accounting for 28 points in the last three years. Veteran thrower and SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, Dylan Targgart, launched a new personal best in the men’s shot put when he threw 19.99m (65-7) on his sixth and final throw to come away with the silver medal. Targgart’s runner-up finish secured eight points and was the best shot put finish of his career and the highest finish for the Gamecocks since Josh Awotunde won the indoor event in 2018. In addition, Targgart now sits fourth in the NCAA standings for the shot put.

The Gamecock men scored in four more events throughout the day. Freshman sprinter Nyck Harbor became the first 60m sprinter to score at the indoor meet for Carolina since 2016, finishing eighth with a time of 6.73. He later scored in the 200m when he posted a fifth-place finish with a time of 20.87. Anthony Greenhow joined him in the scoring column in the men’s 200m, finishing seventh with a time of 20.92 as the duo became the first pair of Gamecocks to score in the indoor 200m since 2016. Theo Mudzengerere placed sixth in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 15.93m (52-3.25), the first Gamecock to score in the SEC Indoor triple jump since 2017. The final point belonged to the men’s 4x400m relay as the quartet of Jayson Ward, Bryson Miller, Greenhow and Jasauna Dennis ran a season-best time of 3:11.10 to finish eighth overall.

Ferguson and Targgart were all named Second Team All-SEC for their finishes in their respective events. The DMR squad of Jaoaud Khchina, Bryson Miller, Joshua Kosgei and Anass Essayi earned First Team All-SEC honors for winning the event on Friday evening.

South Carolina will now turn its attention to the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championship in Boston, Mass. on March 8. The Gamecocks will await the official entries in the coming days to see who will officially be making the trip to the New Balance Track in Beantown.

Men’s Team Standings
1. Arkansas – 163
2. Florida – 106
3. Texas A&M – 71
—
4. South Carolina – 42.5

Men’s Individual Results
60 Meters (Finals)
8. Nyck Harbor – 6.73

200 Meters (Finals)
5. Nyck Harbor – 20.87
7. Anthony Greenhow – 20.92

1-Mile (Finals)
2. Anass Essayi – 4:00.76

3000 Meters
11. Jaouad Khchina – 8:02.87
21. Bradley Makuvire – 8:12.18
24. Joshua Kosgei – 8:15.73*

4×400 Meter Relay
8. Ward, Miller, Greenhow, Dennis – 3:11.10

High Jump
3. Channing Ferguson – 2.11m/6-11
— Nate Figgers – NH

Triple Jump
6. Theo Mudzengerere – 15.93m/52-3.25

Shot Put
2. Dylan Targgart – 19.99m/65-7*

Women’s Team Standings
1. Arkansas – 131
2. Florida – 80
3. LSU – 68.5
—
11. South Carolina – 30

Women’s Individual Results
200 Meters (Finals)
1. JaMeesia Ford – 22.36*

800 Meters (Finals)
3. Judy Kosgei – 2:02.87*