GAINESVILLE, Fla. (May 10, 2024) – It was a strong day for Gamecock Track & Field in the second day of the SEC Outdoor Championship in Gainesville, Fla. South Carolina scored in four finals events and proceeded to advance to three more finals events on Saturday.
CJ Licata and Dylan Targgart got things started in the men’s shot put, earning silver and bronze medalist honors to combine for 14 points. Licata secured runner-up on his fifth throw when he threw 20.31m, but then improved on that mark when he launched 20.41m (66-11.5) just for good measure. Targgart laid claim to third place in the shot put after throwing 20.04m (65-9) on his second attempt of the day. The duo earned spots on the Second Team All-SEC squad and mark the first time since 2017 that South Carolina finished second and third in the men’s shot put, joining Josh Awotunde (2nd) and Ben Bonhurst (3rd).
Channing Ferguson and Nate Figgers tied for eighth overall in the men’s high jump, sharing one point for Carolina as they both cleared 2.09m (6-10.25). This is the fourth consecutive year that South Carolina has had a male high jumper score in the conference meet and just the second time in program history that a pair of male athletes scored in the high jump.
David Warmington punched his ticket to the 110-meter hurdles finals after running 13.67 (1.5) for the 10th fastest time in Carolina history and the 18th best mark in the region. The Oklahoma transfer finished seventh in the preliminary round and will move on to tomorrow’s finale.
The women were led by Teresa Cherotich in the 3000m steeplechase with the fourth place finish, earning five points for the Gamecocks after running 10:06.63. Cherotich is just the second Gamecock to ever score in the SEC Outdoor Championship steeplechase, joining Beatrice Biwott who scored in four consecutive seasons (2009-12). Hannah Togami also posted one point for South Carolina, scoring in the women’s pole vault when she finished eighth overall after clearing 4.03m (13-2.5). Togami becomes the first Gamecock to score in the pole vault since 2018.
South Carolina also saw three female freshmen advance to Saturday’s finals, including a pair out of the 100m sprint. Phenom sprinter JaMeesia Ford clocked a smooth 11.15 (0.3) to finish second in the opening heat and automatically qualify for the finals, while teammate Cynteria James qualified on time with a mark of 11.36 (0.3). The final Gamecock female to advance to Saturday was Judy Kosgei in…