Jason Cook

2008: NCAA East Region qualifier in shot put … South Carolina[apos]s outdoor MVP in field events … posted three wins in the shot put during the indoor season, claiming the title at the On Track Open, Tiger Invitational and Gamecock Invitational … won On Track Open … placed fifth at the New Balance Invitational and broke his 2007 PR at 56-10 … followed that up with a new PR in victory at Tiger Invitational at 58-0 ½ … won Gamecock Invitational at 56-9 ¼ … season best in weight throw came at SEC Championships at 56-7 ¼ … outdoors had Carolina[apos]s best shot put mark at 60-6 with a bronze medal at the SEC Championships … won shot put at Carolina Classic at 59[apos]5 … season best in the hammer at 169-10 … threw a season best 166-5 in the discus at the Penn Relays … placed fifth in the shot put at Penn Relays at 57-1.

2007: Competed in shot put and weight throw indoors … Set a new shot put PR in the first meet of the season by 2 1/2 feet after throwing a 53-1 at the Virginia Tech Invitational … improved his throw by three-quarters of an inch at the Diet Pepsi Invitational where he finished seventh … saw a big improvement at the Gamecock Invitational where he finished second with a throw of 53-8 1/4 … hit a new PR the following week at the SEC Championships at 54-6 1/2, taking 13th in the finals … also set a PR in the weight throw at the conference championships, tossing a 59-0 3/4 to place tenth and narrowly miss out on scoring … outdoors he participated in one event, winning the Weems Baskin Relays in the shot put at 53-2 3/4.

2006: Contested the shot put and weight throw during the indoor season … the Virginia Tech Invitational meet saw a season-opening shot put PR of 46-11 3/4 before unleashing a massive PR of 50-6 at the USC Invitational where he placed third … a great throw of 58-10 in the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships placed fifth … the outdoor season included the addition of the discus and hammer in exchange for the weight throw … in the hammer, a distance of 154-5 was marked at the Murray Neely Invitational before the uncorking of a huge 170-0 personal record for a fifth-place finish at the Clemson Invitational … shot put throws of 52-4 and 54-5 1/2 at the Penn and Sea Ray Relays proved to be PRs … in the discus, a personal best of 168-3 at the Spec Towns meet secured a sixth-place finish … at the SEC Outdoor Championships, a 151-2 1/4 throw concluded a year of great improvement from last season.

2005: Redshirted during the indoor season while recovering from shoulder surgery … changed to a spin technique with the shot put and began learning how to throw the hammer … competed in the shot put, hammer and discus during the outdoor season … turned in his best effort in the shot and hammer at the Tennessee Quad Meet with marks of 45-9 3/4 and 137-6 … had his longest discus throw at Georgia with a 143-2 effort … competed in all three events at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

HIGH SCHOOL: Coached by Lance Sherrill and Rob Dulin at Brentsville District High School … was a two-time state champion in the shot put and discus … was a two-time all-state team member in the shot put and a four-time member of the all-state teams in the discus … was a national qualifier in the 2004 discus and was The Washington Post Athlete of the Year … ranked No. 1 in Virginia in the shot put and discuss … lettered in football, indoor track, outdoor track and wrestling at Brentsville District High School … broke Gamecock throws coach Mike Sergent[apos]s 17-year-old high school records.

PERSONAL: Jason Corey Cook was born Jan. 3, 1986, in Manassas, Va. … parents are Gerald and Janet Cook … graduated in 2008 with a degree in sociology and is pursuing a graduate degree in criminology … chose USC over East Carolina and Virginia Tech.