Jan. 13, 2012

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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director

BLACKSBURG, Va. – South Carolina opened the 2012 track season Friday with one victory and a plethora of freshmen getting there first collegiate action as Gamecocks in the first day of competition at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

Junior Robert Razick earned the first win of the 2012 Gamecock track season with a personal best time in the mile run. Razick’s run of 4:14.46 won the event and moved him up to seventh on the South Carolina all-time list after just one race this season.

Two Gamecocks advanced to the women’s 60-meter hurdle final in senior Kierre Beckles and freshman Chalese Davis. Beckles, an All-American in the event last season, hit 8.35 to place fourth in the final in the first race of the season. Davis ran 8.65 in the prelim before finishing eighth overall in the final at 8.72. A pair of freshman, Sarah Graham and Jemekia Wilson, took 23rd and 31st overall with time of 9.23 and 9.43, respectively.

A pair of freshmen took fourth and fifth in the men’s 300-meter dash with Eric Winfrey claiming fourth at 34.77, and Christopher Walker claiming fifth at 34.89. In the 500-meter dash, another freshman, Thomas Gaither, claimed fourth with a time of 1:05.88. On the women’s side, freshman Erika Rucker took fourth in the 500-meter dash at 1:13.51. In the women’s 300-meter dash, a trio of freshmen competed in Christal Green (6th), Ahtyana Johnson (7th) and Tamera Harris (10th).

Sophomore Chris Royster set a new career best in the 60-meter dash after taking seventh in the prelims at 6.83. The All-American placed eighth in the final with a time of 6.86, and fellow All-American Chris Maxwell ran 7.20 in his first race of the season. Four women competed in the 60-meter dash with Vashti Bandy leading the troops with a time of 7.73. Senior Kelsey McCorkle took 23rd at 7.78 and was followed by Asia Delaney with a PR of 7.85 to take 26th. Freshman Melekia Simpson came in at 8.02.

Redshirt freshman Andrew Seay hit a personal best mark of 53’8 ¼ (16.36m) to lead a trio of Gamecock men in the weight throw. Seay placed seventh overall and was followed by Chris Campbell in 10th (49’10 // 15.19m) and Louis Day in 12th (47’9 // 14.55m).

In the other field event, Dorian Johnson had a season-opening leap of 47’5 ¼ (14.46m) in the triple jump to take seventh. James Adams came in 11th at 45’11 ¼ (14.00m).

Sophomore Liz Locke nearly missed out on cracking the Gamecock all-time top 10 list in the 1,000-meter run after placing ninth overall at 3:01.84. Locke came within a second of surpassing Laura Pramstaller for 10th in the Gamecock record books. In the other distance event, Meredith Mill led the Gamecock women in the mile run with a time of 5:16.30 to place 13th overall. Megan Rother (5:25) and Emma Borowicz (5:35) came in 21st and 27th, respectively.

Competition continues Saturday with action slated to begin at 11 a.m. with the high jump competition, and will conclude at 4:15 with the 4×400-meter relay.