CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 27, 2024) – South Carolina Track & Field capped off the 2024 outdoor regular season on Saturday afternoon, finishing third in both the men and women’s team standings at the Charlotte Invitational.
The women’s squad won five events and saw a dominating performance from NCAA Indoor Gold Medalist, JaMeesia Ford. The Fayetteville, N.C. native made her collegiate outdoor 100m debut on Saturday and ran 11.13 (0.0) for the win and the fifth fastest time in program history and 10th in the NCAA this season. Later in the day, she followed that performance with a program record in the 200m, clocking 22.21 (0.0) for the win. Her 200m time leads the NCAA this season, ranks third in the world leaderboard and sits 14th all-time in collegiate history.
Ford was also the anchor to both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays that took home gold medal honors. The women’s 4x100m relay team of Jayla Jamison, Cynteria James, Zaya Akins and Ford ran a time of 43.61 to break the Irwin Belk Track facility record. The 4x400m relay squad of Akins, Jamison, Sylvia Chelangat and Ford capped off the day with a time of 3:30.16 for the win.
The women’s squad also saw four new individual personal best marks that provided a big boost for the Gamecocks. In the women’s 400m, Zaya Akins clocked 51.83 for the win, marking the eighth best time in the East Region and 18th in the NCAA. Akins was followed by teammate Chelangat who turned in a personal best time of 53.00 for the third-place finish and the 29th best mark in the region. Madison Childress and Emma Torbert recorded massive personal bests in their respective events, with Childress jumping 5.94m (19-6) to finish third in the long jump; while Torbert finished second in the 5K with a time of 18:02.20.
On the men’s side, the Gamecocks put away four gold medal finishes, beginning with the 4x100m relay squad of Andrew Bond, Nyck Harbor, Anthony Greenhow and Jasauna Dennis after running 39.54. Later in the afternoon, Greenhow, Bond and Prescott Jefferson went 1-2-3 in the men’s 100m as Greenhow took home gold with a time of 10.30 (1.3). Bond clocked a new personal best time of 10.39 (1.3), while Jefferson recorded a new wind-legal PR of 10.57 (1.3).
David Warmington and Theo Mudzengerere were responsible for the final two individual wins on the day for the men, beginning with Warmington in the men’s 110-meter hurdle after running 13.81w (2.3). Mudzengerere claimed the title in the triple jump with the…