COLUMBIA, S.C. (Feb. 1, 2025) – The month of February could not have started off any better for South Carolina Track & Field, scoring 13 wins at the Gamecock Challenge on Saturday. Included in the wins were a pair of distance medley relay victories that resulted in new facility records at the Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex.
The women’s DMR squad of Abigail White, JaMeesia Ford, Sylvia Chelangat and Salma Elbadra set a new program record with a time of 11:02.54. White opened the event with 3:31.3 split in the 1200m, followed by a smooth 52.2 by Ford in the 400m. Chelangat clocked 2:09 in the 800m split with Elbadra bringing home the facility record and the fifth fastest time in the NCAA after posting a 4:30 split during the 1600m stretch.
On the men’s side, it was Jaouad Khchina, Josiah Wrice, Joshua Kosgei and Rogerio Amaral who broke the facility record with a time of 9:44.41 for the third best time in program history. Khchina got things started with a 2:59.2 split in the 1200m, before handing off to Wrice with a 46.8 split in the 400m section. Kosgei clocked 1:53.1 for the 800m and it was the veteran runner Amaral who helped Carolina come away with the second fastest time in the NCAA this season after running a 1600m split of 4:16.
South Carolina’s men’s team picked up seven more wins throughout Saturday’s festivities, including six individual victories. Veteran sprinter Anthony Greenhow notched a win in the 200m sprint after posting a time of 21.02, finishing just ahead of teammate Jasauna Dennis who ran 21.03 for a new personal best. Freshman sprinter Devan Crumpton clocked a new personal best in the 400m sprint, running 46.61 for the ninth fastest time in the NCAA this season and ninth best mark in Gamecock indoor history. Newcomer, Noah Contreras earned a win in his indoor debut, doing so in the men’s 1,000m with a time of 2:26.87 for the fourth fastest time in Carolina history. Khchina, the opening leg of the facility record DMR squad, earned an individual win in the mile, running a personal best time of 3:59.44.
The men’s squad secured two victories in the field events as well with Channing Ferguson laying claim to the high jump crown with a height of 2.12m (6-11.5) and Theo Mudzengerere winning the triple jump with a distance of 15.88m (52-1.25) to rank 13th in the NCAA. The Gamecock men closed the meet in style with a convincing win in the 4x400m relay as Wrice, Crumpton, Greenhow and Dennis clocked a new season best…