NEW YORK, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2023) – It was another record-breaking day as the Gamecocks are off to a great start in their first scored meet of the season. The men and women’s track & field teams are both currently sitting in the top three in the team standings following day one of the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge in New York City. The men’s team sits atop the leaderboard by one point, while the women trail the leader by just two points.
“It was a great day of competition for the Gamecocks,” stated Head Coach Curtis Frye. “For Rogerio to break another distance record in back-to-back weeks speaks volume of where he is at with his health and mentality right now. We earned key wins from both Jayla and KD in their respective events to put us in a good spot for tomorrow’s finale. I am just overall proud of the way we competed today at such an elite track with great teams. I know our team is looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”
Rogerio Amaral earned the lone win in the men’s efforts today, doing so in the men’s 5000-meter race. Just one week removed from setting a program record in the 3000m, Amaral was at it again with yet another program topper. This time, Amaral bested the previous 5K Gamecock record (14:25.58) when he clocked the first sub-14-minute time of 13:58.05 to topple the record by just over 27 seconds. Amaral earned 10 points for the Gamecocks and now sits 48th in the NCAA in the indoor 5K.
South Carolina also received 32 points from four different runner-up finishes, including Anthony Greenhow, Jr. in the men’s 60-meter sprint. Greenhow, who qualified with teammate Elisha Brooks, stopped the clock at 6.77 to claim silver in the men’s 60m finals. Filip Demsar also earned a second-place finish in the men’s 60m hurdles with a time of 7.76. The final two runner-up finishes came from a pair of field events in Dillon McCarthy and Dylan Targgart. McCarthy vaulted 5.05m for the second consecutive week, while Targgart launched the shot put 18.94m for his runner-up finish.
The women’s team only competed in five events today but made each one count, racking up two wins and a pair of runner-up finishes. KD Young earned the first win of the day in the women’s shot put when she threw for a season-best 16.03m (52-7.25) for the 29th-best throw in the NCAA this season. Jayla Jamison earned the other victory for the Garnet & Black in the women’s 60m with a time of 7.47.
Carolina’s distance runners…