CLEMSON, S.C. (Dec. 8, 2023) – The Tim Hall Era officially kicked off with a bang on Friday as Gamecock Track & Field took home nine victories at the Clemson Opener in Clemson, S.C. In addition to the nine wins, the Gamecocks found themselves with 12 Top-25 NCAA marks, including four NCAA-leading results.
It was the newcomers that stole the spotlight at Clemson, led by freshman sprinter JaMeesia Ford who ran the second fastest 300-meter time in NCAA history at 35.83. Ford finished just .03 seconds behind Kentucky great Abby Steiner who clocked 35.80 in 2021. In addition to placing second in USTFCCCA history, the Fayetteville, N.C. native broke the program record for the 300m and is currently the world leader in the indoor 300m sprint. Teammate Zaya Akins was not far behind Ford, finishing second on the podium with a time of 36.77 for the second fastest mark in Gamecock history.
Freshman sprinter Cynteria James left her mark in the 60-meter dash after winning both the semifinals and the finals. James clocked 7.46 in the preliminary round before running a time of 7.35 in the semifinals to take over the fastest time in the NCAA. The Florida native outdid herself in the finals when she ran 7.31 for the fastest time in the 2023-24 world rankings as well as the NCAA, not to mention the eighth best time in program history. Anastasia Sumpter finished third in the finals with a time of 7.50 but was able to run 7.47 in the semifinals to sit eighth in the NCAA standings.
Hannah Togami, a freshman pole vaulter from Mount Pleasant, S.C., secured a win in her first collegiate meet when she cleared 3.95m (12-11.5) to rank 12th in the NCAA and eighth all-time in Gamecock indoor pole vault history.
Capping off the women’s top performances were a handful of veterans, led by Jayla Jamison who finished second in the 200m with a time of 23.46 to take over the NCAA leaderboard. Jamison finished behind a fellow teammate who was running unattached. Jamison was also the third leg in the women’s 4x400m relay team that captured the podium as Ford, Aalliyah Francis, Jamison and Akins clocked 3:36.46 for the win and the fastest time in the NCAA this season.
There were five victories on the men’s side, including three more by a trio of newcomers. The first win of the season for Carolina belonged to Lehigh transfer Conor Reilly. In his first meet with the Gamecocks, the junior pole vaulter cleared a personal best 4.85m (15-11) to capture the first win of the season for…