Women’s DMR Highlights Day One of NCAA Championship with Silver Medal
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (March 13, 2026) – South Carolina Women’s Track & Field walked away with eight points on the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Championship thanks to the distance medley relay squad making history with a runner-up finish.
Eline Mast, Akala Garrett, Sylvia Chelangat and Salma Elbadra earned silver medals and First Team All-American honors after running 10:49.69 to become the first group in program history to score in the DMR at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Mast opened with a 3:24.05 split in the 1200-meter leg before handing the baton off to Garrett who ran 53.46 in the 400m split. Chelangat recorded a 2:05.69 split in the 800m and then handed off to the defending SEC indoor mile champion, Elbadra. The Morocco native ran a scorching 4:26.50 mile split, two seconds faster than any other closing leg to boost the Gamecocks up the leaderboard into sixth place overall with eight points.
The rest of the Gamecocks competed in preliminary rounds, qualifying for five combined finals on Saturday. Garrett earned a spot in the 60-meter hurdle finale after she finished sixth in the preliminary round with a time of 8.05. JaMeesia Ford qualified for the 200m final, running a season best time of 22.54 to finish second overall in the prelims.
As for the men, South Carolina had at least one runner qualify for the finals in all three preliminary events on the day. Jaouad Khchina kicked things off for the men in the mile prelims, running 3:57.22 to earn the final qualifying spot on time as he finished eighth overall. Josiah Wrice was responsible for the next qualifying mark, doing so in the men’s 400m after finishing fourth in the prelims with a mark of 45.55. Tyson Williams secured his spot in the 200m finale tomorrow, running 20.64 for the seventh fastest mark in the prelims.
South Carolina captured three Second Team All-American honors in addition to the four First Team All-American nods from the DMR squad. Andrew Salvodon clocked 46.85 in the 400m in his first NCAA Indoor Championship appearance to finish 15th, while Alexis Brown posted 7.25 in the 60m for 13th and Zaya Akins turned in a time of 52.18 in the 400m to finish 14th. Both Salvodon and Akins will return to the track in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay.
South Carolina will put a bow on the indoor season tomorrow in the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championship beginning with Logan Montgomery in the men’s shot put at 2 p.m. (ET). The final two events of the meet will be the women’s 4x400m relay at 7:40 p.m. (ET) and the men’s 4x400m relay at 7:55 p.m. (ET).
Men’s Team Standings
1. Arkansas – 14
T2. Kansas – 13
T2. Virginia – 13
—
— South Carolina – 0
Men’s Individual Results
200 Meters (Prelims)
7. Tyson Williams – 20.64q
400 Meters (Prelims)
4. Josiah Wrice – 45.55q
15. Andrew Salvodon – 46.85
1-Mile (Prelims)
8. Jaouad Khchina – 3:57.22q
Women’s Team Standings
1. Illinois – 30
2. Oregon – 20
3. Florida – 14
—
6. South Carolina – 8
Women’s Individual Results
60 Meters (Prelims)
13. Alexis Brown – 7.25
200 Meters (Prelims)
2. JaMeesia Ford – 22.54q
400 Meters (Prelims)
14. Zaya Akins – 52.18
Distance Medley Relay
2. Mast, Garrett, Chelangat, Elbadra – 10:49.69
60-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
6. Akala Garrett – 8.05q
— Joslyn Hamilton – DNF
