NEW YORK, N.Y. (Jan. 28, 2023) – South Carolina Track & Field finished inside the top three in both the men and women’s team standings as the Gamecocks concluded the 2023 Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia College in New York City. The women led South Carolina with a second-place finish at 108 points, while the men finished third with 90 overall points.
“Our group showed that they just want to compete for each other,” stated Head Coach Curtis Frye. “Team scores are important, and this was the right kind of meet for us to compete in. We had strong competition from UCLA and Connecticut, as well as other schools that are here in this region. Our kids flat out competed and the ones that are still developing did a good job of fitting in. They put forth the effort and I am pleased with them. Jayla was a double winner and that is what we expected. She is just a competitor and knows how to win. We had a good effort from KD today in the weight throw. For those field events, we ask for you to do your personal best when the team is counting on you and that is what they did this weekend. Of course, we had a great run with Anass setting the Carolina record in the 3K just one day after Rogerio recorded the first sub-14-minute 5K. Now it is time to get back and make sure we get healthy and give some kids some opportunities to compete at home again this next weekend. This next week is big for us as it will set us up for the Clemson Invite where we will face eight of the Top 10 teams in the country.”
For the second consecutive day in New York, there was a Gamecock record broken. This time it was the men’s 3,000 meter, set last week by Rogerio Amaral (8:02.55), that was broken by his fellow teammate Anass Essayi. The Morocco native made his season debut in style as he ran 7:41.93, breaking Amaral’s week-long record by nearly 21 seconds. Essayi’s time is also the second fastest 3K race in the NCAA this season and ranks fifth all time in the USTFCCCA record book.
Sticking with the men’s results, South Carolina earned a pair of runner-up finishes in both the 200 meter and the 4×400 meter relay. Anthony Greenhow, Jr. ran 21.31 in the 200m to secure eight points for the Gamecocks. To conclude the day, the relay team of Jayson Ward, William Spencer Jr., Jackson Junkins and EJ Richardson secured the 39th best 4x400m relay time at 3:11.54 for eight more points in Carolina’s pocket.
The final top three finish came from William Spencer, Jr. in the…