Gamecocks Begin Season with Tune-Up at Clemson Opener
CLEMSON, S.C. (Dec. 5, 2024) – South Carolina Track & Field will officially kick off its 2024-25 indoor campaign tomorrow with a stop in Clemson, S.C. for the Clemson Opener for the fourth consecutive year.
Follow the Meet
Live results for the 2024 Clemson Opener can be found by clicking here. Fans who are wishing to watch the meet can also do so by tuning into the ACC Network Extra broadcast by clicking here. The live broadcast will begin at noon. Fans can also follow along with updates on Twitter (X) by following @GamecockTrack.
Meet Information
The Clemson Opener will commence with field events beginning at 10 a.m. with the men’s pole vault, men’s high jump and men’s shot put to kick off the season. The final field event will take place around 4 p.m. with the men’s and women’s triple jump. The first track event for Carolina will be the women’s 60m preliminary round at 11:30 a.m. with the last event on the oval being the men’s 4×400 meter relay at 5:40 p.m.
Clemson Opener Success
The Gamecocks flexed their muscles at the 2023 Clemson Opener under then-first-year head coach Tim Hall. South Carolina took home nine victories at the Clemson Opener and found itself with 12 of the Top 25 NCAA marks, including four NCAA-leading results. Reigning 200m indoor national champion JaMeesia Ford shined for the Gamecocks at Clemson last season, running the second fastest 300m spring in NCAA history with a time of 35.83, finishing just .03 seconds behind legendary sprinter Abby Steiner. Ford broke the program’s 300m record and was closely followed by teammate Zaya Akins who ran 36.77 for the second fastest time in Gamecock history.
For the men, Channing Ferguson, Nate Figgers and Dylan Targgart were among the five male winners in their respective events, setting the tone for the indoor season. Ferguson and Figgers tied atop the leaderboard in the high jump after clearing 2.10m (6-10.75), while Targgart threw 18.91m (62-5) in the shot put.
New to the Squad
The Gamecocks reloaded with 36 new faces between the men and women’s team this year. For this weekend’s meet, 13 of the 36 newcomers will lace up to compete for the first time in a Carolina uniform. For the men, Antwan Hughes Jr. (60m, 200m), Josiah Wrice (300m, 4x400m), Devan Crumpton (300m, 4x400m), Ricky Circelli (600m, 4x400m), and Logan Hill (1000m) are set to make their Carolina debuts. Meanwhile, the women newcomers will feature: Kennedy Flynn (200m, 60mH), Imani Rivas (200m, 4x400m), Joslyn Hamilton (60mH, 4x400m), Omaria Gordon (60mH, Long Jump), Ariike Elijah (4x400m), Cheyla Scott (High Jump, Long Jump), Madelynn Cohen (Pole Vault), Cameran Gist (Triple Jump).
