Track & Field Opens 2026 Campaign with Weekend Showdowns
CLEMSON, S.C. (Dec. 4, 2025) – Gamecock Track & Field will officially kickoff the 2026 season with a pair of tune-up meets this weekend in Clemson, S.C. and Boston, Mass.
Follow the Meet
Live results for the 2025 edition of the Clemson Opener can be found by clicking here. Live results for the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston are located here. Fans who are interested in tuning in to a live broadcast for Boston can do so for a nominal fee through FloSports. As always, fans can follow along with updates on Twitter (X) by following @GamecockTrack.
Meet Information
The Clemson Opener is a one-day meet and will run on Friday, Dec. 5 beginning with the men’s pole vault and men’s shot put at 10 a.m. The final field event for the Gamecocks will be the women’s triple jump at 4 p.m. The first event on the track for Carolina will be the women’s 60-meter hurdle preliminary round at noon, while the final event will be the men’s 4x400m at 5:10 p.m.
The Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener will also be just a one-day meet and will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6 on the campus of Boston University. South Carolina’s first event will be the men’s mile at 12:20 p.m., with the last event being the women’s 5K at 4:30 p.m.
Success in the Upstate
This will be the fifth consecutive year that South Carolina has competed in the Clemson Opener, including the third consecutive year under direction of Head Coach Tim Hall. In the first two years under Hall’s guidance, the Gamecocks have won 18 events and even set 28 new indoor personal best marks in 2024. This year, South Carolina will be competing in 17 events, with the potential for 21 total events including finals.
Running Hard in Boston
Distance events in Boston are notorious for being fast, successful and position you well for the NCAA Indoor Championship rankings. This will be the first of two trips to Beantown as the Gamecocks will send 13 athletes for this trip. Two men will compete this weekend in Boston for the Garnet & Black, while 11 women fresh off the most historic cross country season in program history will lace up the spikes.
Squad Breakdown
The Gamecocks welcome a load of talent back from the 2025 team, while bringing in fresh new faces that look to play a key part come postseason. On the men’s team, South Carolina returns 18 letterwinners and welcomes 14 newcomers. Jasauna Dennis and Josiah Wrice highlight the sprinters group, while Jaouad Khchina and Elijah Poore anchor the distance team. Of the 14 newcomers, eight are true freshman. Alexander Chukwukelu, Logan Montgomery, Jeremy Nelson and Tyson Williams are a few of the key transfer portal additions on the men’s team.
As for the women, the Gamecocks return 28 letterwinners from 2025 including All-Americans Zaya Akins, Sylvia Chelangat, Salma Elbadra, JaMeesia Ford and Cynteria James. South Carolina welcomes 17 newcomers to the team with 11 being true freshmen and six via the portal. Alexis Brown was a big portal grab for the Gamecocks, having won eight NCAA Division II titles during her time at Lenoir-Rhyne. In addition to Brown, the Gamecocks were able to bring in All-American hurdler Akala Garrett from Texas, as well as her teammate and fellow All-American Lauren Lewis.
