Gabriella Gait-Smith

position Distance
class Sophomore
Hometown Johannesburg, South Africa
High school Dainfern College

position Distance
class Sophomore
Hometown Johannesburg, South Africa
High school Dainfern College

Academic Highlights
2023 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll

Season and Career Results
2023-24
Cross Country
Appeared in five meets during her sophomore season with Carolina Cross Country … Opened the season finishing 15^th at the Eye Opener with a time of 17:57.3 … Finished runner-up at the Gamecock Challenge on Sept. 15 after running a personal best 5K time of 16:47.2 for the second fastest 5K in program history … Set a new personal best in the 6K event in her first 6K race of the season, clocking 21:17.0 to finish 44^th at the Paul Short Run … Her time at the Paul Short Run marked the 13^th fastest 6K time in Gamecock history … Ran 22:20.9 at the SEC Championship and then closed the season running 21:39.5 at the NCAA Southeast Regional to place 96^th overall.

2022-23

Indoor

Competed in five meets during the indoor season, running both the 3,000 meter and the 5,000 meter … Made her indoor track debut at the Gamecock Opener, finishing second overall in the 3K with a PR time of 10:18.04 … Two weeks later, she set her indoor 5K personal best time of 18:36.15 at the Columbia Challenge in New York City … Best finish in the 5K during the indoor season was eighth at the South Carolina Invitational, running 18:46.49.

Outdoor

Appeared in six meets on the season, running the 1,500 meter, 3,000 meter and the 5,000 meter races … Made her outdoor debut in the Weems Baskin Relays 3K, running a personal best 10:02.23 for the runner-up finish … The following week, she ran her first outdoor 5K, finishing fifth at the Florida Relays with a time of 17:28.41 … Her best finish of the season in the 5K was second at the Tom Jones Memorial when she clocked 17:17.16 … Ran her only 1500m race at the USC Open on April 22, finishing seventh with a personal best time of 4:36.61 … Turned in a PR time in the 5K at the coveted Penn Relays, running 17:10.71 for the ninth fastest outdoor 5K in Gamecock history … Also ran the 5K at the SEC Championship.

Cross Country

Competed in six meets for the Gamecocks, winning the Winthrop Invitational in her collegiate debut on Sept. 17 with a time of 18:37.2 … Won SEC Freshman Runner of the Week after setting her 5K personal record at the Royals Challenge with a time of 18:11.5 to place 13^th, posting the 44^th-fastest 5K in school history … Set her collegiate 6K personal record at the 2022 SEC Cross Country Championship, clocking a time of 21:38.67, putting her 16^th among Top-20 individuals in program history … Her 21:38.67 mark was the 29^th fastest overall 6K in program history.

Pre-South Carolina
High School

Lettered in field hockey, indoor hockey, cross country and track & field at Dainfern College … Named Provincial Field Hockey and Provincial Indoor Hockey … South African Schools Cross Country Champion for three consecutive years (2017-19) … South African Schools Champion Girls U18 for 3000m and 1500m in 2018 … Two-time South African Club Champion for Girls U18 in the 1500m and 3000m in 2019 … Ran for the JS Athletics Club and achieved Sportswoman of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Track Athlete of the Year from 2017-19 … Also named Athletics Gauteng North Best Female Track Sub Youth Athlete in 2017 … Earned full academic colors and prestige for academics … Honors Blazer for Academics, Public Speaking, Cross Country and Athletics.

Personal

Born to her parents Mark Gait-Smith and Sylvia Gait-Smith on Oct. 14, 2003 … Has three brothers: Michael, Christopher and Nicholas … Grandfather, Michael Gait-Smith, was a national hockey player for Zambia … Currently majoring in Finance … Chose South Carolina because it was “the perfect balance where I can pursue both my academic and athletic goals”.

Personal Records

Indoor