June 23, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio – South Carolina freshman Antonio Sales won the national championships in the 200-meter dash and five other Gamecocks qualified for the Junior World Championships after a strong weekend at the USA Junior Nationals at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Sales ran a 20.94 in the 200-meter dash to best the field by .09 seconds and earn his berth for the 2008 International Association of Athletics Federation World Junior Championships to be held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, from July 8-13. He also qualified for the World Championships in the 100-meter dash after running a 10.33 to place second. The time was the fastest ran by a Gamecock this season. His performance also places him in the 4×100-meter relay pool.

SEC Freshman Runner of the Year Johnny Dutch will advance to Poland with a runner-up finish to NCAA champion Jeshua Anderson in the 400-meter hurdles. Dutch, a two-time gold medalist at the 2007 Pan Am Junior Championships, ran a 49.7 in the event for second place.

Incoming freshman Booker Nunley, the No. 2 ranked hurdler in the United States, also earned a championship with a win in the 110-meter hurdles. Nunley finished nearly a half-second ahead of the field with a time of 13.40 for the victory.

On the women’s side, three freshmen qualified for the World Championships in Shayla Mahan, Gabrielle Glenn and Porche Byrd. Mahan placed third overall in the 100-meter dash in 11.39 while Glenn placed fifth at 11.56. Both 2008 Outdoor All-Americans also ran in the 200-meter dash at the Junior Nationals and will be placed in the 4×100-meter relay pool.

Byrd, a 2008 Indoor and Outdoor All-American, ran a 53.84 to place fifth in the 400-meter dash. Her performance earned her a spot on the 4×400-meter relay pool for the World Championships.

Other Gamecocks that competed at the USA Junior Nationals this weekend were freshmen Lamar Markett and Aaron Anderson. Markett placed sixth in the 200-meter dash finals (21.54) while Anderson ran in the 400-meter dash (48.09).