University of South Carolina Libraries
Track finishes second flliquel Jacobs THE 6MTICC0CK The USC women’s outdoor track team lived up to a its expectations this season, finishing as the national runner-up June 6 in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field championships. Tied with UCLA Jt 48 points, Carolina finished at its best since winning the title in 2002. Texas won this season’s championship with 55 points and a strong finish on the final day of competition. “I am very proud of the performance we had,” Frye said. “We are proud that our women finished second in the nation. They represented our institution well — it’s an outstanding finish. We would have loved to won, but we take our hats off to Texas and to UCLA. They have outstanding programs, and it’s an honor to be among these teams.” The Gamecocks posted three second-place finishes on the women’s side and collected 18 All-American honors, an improvement from last season’s 12. As the final day of competition concluded, the title hinged on the 1,600-meter relay — the last event. With UCLA leading Texas by 3 and USC by 8 going into the event. With UCLA not fielding a team for the event, the relay was run tightly before Texas squeaked to a first-place finish at 3 minutes, 27.1 seconds, nine hundredths of a second ahead of the Gamecocks, who came in at 3:27.22. “We knew it was going to come down to the 4x400-meter relay,” said senior Shevon Stoddart, USCs lead runner in the event. “We all went out there and gave it our best and finished second. We have a great team who will hopefully come back next year and get it done.” Freshman Shalonda Solomon collected a runner-up finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.86. The other runner-up finish occurred in the 400-meter hurdles as Gamecocks Stoddart and junior Tiffany Ross-Williams finished second and third, respectively. Both athletes ran personal bests that qualify as Nos. 2 and 3 on USCs all-time. list. Stoddart’s time (54.47) and Ross Williams’ time (54.56) trail only that of former 16-time All American Lashinda Demus, whose time of 53.43 last season earned her a berth in the 2004 Olympics. “When I got to the straightaway (300-meter), I saw I was in a good position to win and tried with all my heart to get that to that finish line,” Stoddart said. “She (Wyoming’s Shauna Smith) got that win, but I ran one of the best races I’ve ever ran.” Sophomore Stephanie Smith and freshman Natasha Hastings posted personal bests at the championships while earning All American honors. Smith finished third in the 400s at 50.93, and Hastings, the 2005 SEC Champion, was sixth at 51.87. USC’s All-American winners on the women’s side include Chelsea Hammond (eighth-long jump), 400-meter relay team (seniors Erica Whipple and Alexis Joyce, Ross-Williams and Solomon), 1600-meter relay team (Stoddart, Hastings, Ross Williams and Smith), 400-meter hurdles (Stoddart and Ross Williams) and the 200-meter dash (Smith and Hastings). Men’s All-American honors include junior Rodney Martin Jr. (100-meter and 200-meter) and freshman Jason Richardson (110 meter hurdles). The men’s team finished No. 26 with 12 points. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu JBSON STEELMBN/THE GAMECOCK USC’s women's basketball team returns a group of experienced and talened veterans, along with touted newcomers for the 2005 season. They are expected to be contenders for the SEC title. Women’s basketball regroups Uliquel Jacobs the enmEcocH On the heels of back-to-back rebuilding seasons, USC’s womens basketball team will return for the 2005-2006 season with a plethora of returning talent. With last seasons entire roster expected to return along with heralded newcomers Brionna Dickerson and Demetress Adams, the Gamecocks should be able to build on last season’s late success. In what could become one of the conference’s best backcourts in the next few seasons, the Gamecocks are solid at the guard positions, led by former Freshman All-SEC member Lauren Simms. Junior Lea Fabbri returns from a breakthrough season in which she started 18 games at point guard and saw all her statistics and shooting percentages increase. Redshirt junior Angela Hunter took over the point when Fabbri took temporary leave from the team for personal reasons, becoming an instant threat from the perimeter and logging key minutes. Simms was the lone Gamecock to average double-digits in scoring, logging 11.8 points per game. A knee injury against Alabama on Feb. 20 ended her season, causing junior Stacy Booker to take over as leader for the improving squad, including a 19-point, nine-rebound performance against Alabama for USC’s first conference victory. Booker averaged 37 minutes, 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds during Carolina’s final six games. Junior Shannel Harris rounds out the backcourt as the defensive stopper and perimeter threat, averaging a steal every two minutes. One of the top shot-blocking teams in the nation, Carolina has plenty of height to match any team in the post. Led by junior Melanie Johnson’s 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Johnson, junior Iva Sliskovic and sophomore Lakeshia Tolliver led the post for the record-breaking team, as Carolina posted 167 blocks on the season, breaking the previous record of 115 in the 2001 -2002 season. Sliskovic, the leading scorer and rebounder from her freshman season, came on late last season but finished as a top player, scoring in double figures in Carolina’s last four games, highlighted by a 16 point, 15-rebound effort against Kentucky in which she was 8-for-8 from the field, a school record. Olga Gritsaeva returns as the lone senior for the Gamecocks. She became one of the tallest guards in the country at 6-ft>ot-4 after converting to a wing player to allow playing time for all of the post players. After leading Russia to a 5-3 record in the European Championships during the summer, expect Gritsaeva to log more minutes as a combination player. Sophomore Ilona Burgrova started 18 games at center for Carolina and became a key contributor as a true freshman, including making the All tournament team at the Carolina Classic. Junior Larissa Kulscar provides a physical inside presence and does a lot in her time, shooting 43 percent from the field. The 2005-2006 season will be a treat for fans, as Carolina will play host to five NCAA Tournament teams, including Sweet 16 participant Minnesota. The Gamecocks will play an exhibition against Everyone’s Internet, a team of WNBA members, on Nov. 14, followed by the regular-season opener against High Point on Nov. 18. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Solving Problems Including: DUI Criminal Defense Auto Accidents Cromer Law Offices A General Practice of Law J.L. "Bubba" Cromer, Jr. Former S.C. State Representative 2910 Devine Street 254-7900 ' H...-iT-.. - * A * ' ... •_ Vi?5 ’ / - * cw' s < - «’* A ' _’ V'a*At _,* /" -*»_»'cv^ IhIHs ■ tfff&f flStt Cttff &&%* '* HmdlMfH - **M *** «• *'•—» b 1 *% 777-6742